Line sensor, image reading device, and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10412253-B2
Application number	US-201816036133-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 16, 2018
Priority date	Dec 25, 2014
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

In a line sensor including color filters periodically disposed in a light-receiving-element row, a “mixture of colors” problem occurs when light that has been transmitted through a color filter differing from a color filter corresponding to a light receiving element is incident upon the light receiving element. To prevent the “mixture of colors” from occurring, in a CMOS sensor 107 including a light-receiving-element row in which a plurality of photodiodes 1204 are disposed side by side in a main scanning direction and a plurality of color filters 1202 that are disposed in correspondence with the plurality of photodiodes 1204, the center of each color filter 1202, other than the center color filter that corresponds to the center photodiode of the light-receiving-element row, is displaced in a direction toward the center of the light-receiving-element row from the center of the photodiode 1204 corresponding to the color filter.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A line sensor comprising:
a first light-receiving-element row, a second light-receiving-element row and a third light-receiving-element row each including a plurality of light receiving elements that are disposed in a first direction, the first light-receiving-element row, the second light-receiving-element row, and the third light-receiving-element row being disposed at a predetermined interval in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;
a first plurality of transmitting portions each corresponding to a different one of the plurality of light receiving elements disposed in the first light-receiving-element row,
a second plurality of transmitting portions each corresponding to a different one of the plurality of light receiving elements disposed in the second light-receiving-element row,
a third plurality of transmitting portions each corresponding to a different one of the plurality of light receiving elements disposed in the third light-receiving-element row.
wherein each of the first plurality of transmitting portions, the second plurality of transmitting portions and the third plurality of transmitting portions, includes a first transmitting portion transmitting light having a first wavelength, a second transmitting portion transmitting light having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, and a third transmitting portion transmitting light having a third wavelength different from both the first wavelength and the second wavelength,
a first plurality of condensing portions each corresponding to a different one of the plurality of light receiving elements disposed in the first light-receiving-element row,
a second plurality of condensing portions each corresponding to a different one of the plurality of light receiving elements disposed in the second light-receiving-element row,
a third plurality of condensing portions each corresponding to a different one of the plurality of light receiving elements disposed in the third light-receiving-element row,
wherein each of the first light-receiving-element row, the second light-receiving-element row and the third light-receiving-element row includes a light receiving element corresponding to the first transmitting portion, a light receiving element corresponding to the second transmitting portion disposed adjacent to the first transmitting portion in the first direction, and a light receiving element corresponding to the third transmitting portion disposed adjacent to the second transmitting portion in the first direction,
wherein in the first light-receiving-element row, a distance, in the first direction between a center of the first light-receiving-element row and a center of a first light receiving element disposed on a first position in the first direction is longer than a distance, in the first direction, between the center of the first light-receiving-element row and a center of a transmitting portion corresponding to the first light receiving element,
a distance, in the first direction, between the center of the first light-receiving-element row and a center of a second light receiving element adjacent to the first light receiving element is longer than a distance in the first direction, between the center of the first light-receiving-element row and a center of a transmitting portion corresponding to the second light receiving element,
a distance, in the first direction, between the center of the first light-receiving-element row and the first position is longer than a distance, in the first direction, between the center of the first light-receiving-element row and a second position where the second light receiving element is disposed,
a distance, in the first direction, between the center of the first light receiving element and the center of the transmitting portion corresponding to the first light receiving element is longer than a distance, in the first direction, between the center of the second light receiving element and the center of the transmitting portion corresponding to the second light receiving element,
wherein a condensing portion corresponding to the first light receiving element is disposed opposite to the first light receiving element with respect to a transmitting portion corresponding to the first light receiving element in a third direction orthogonal to both the first direction and the second direction, and
wherein the distance, in the first direction, between the center of the first light-receiving-element row and the center of the first light receiving element is longer than a distance, in the first direction, between the center of the first light-receiving-element row and a center of the condensing portion corresponding to the first light receiving element,
the distance, in the first direction, between the center of the first light-receiving-element row and the center of the second light receiving element is longer than a distance, in the first direction, between the center of the first light-receiving-element row and a center of a condensing portion corresponding to the second light receiving element,
a distance, in the first direction, between the center of the first light receiving element and the center of the condensing portion corresponding to the first light receiving element is longer than a distance, in the first direction, between the center of the second light receiving element and the center of the condensing portion corresponding to the second light receiving element, and
wherein a distance, in the first direction, between the center of the first light-receiving-element row and an end portion of the first light receiving element positioned opposite to a center side of the first light receiving element row in the first direction, is longer than a distance, in the first direction, between the center of the first light-receiving-element row and an end portion of the transmitting portion corresponding to the first light-receiving element positioned opposite to the center side in the first direction,
a distance, in the first direction, between the center of the first light-receiving-element row and an end portion of the second light receiving element positioned opposite to the center side in the first direction, is longer than a distance, in the first direction, between the center of the first light-receiving-element row and an end portion of the transmitting portion corresponding to the second light receiving element positioned opposite to the center side in the first direction,
wherein the first light-receiving-row includes a vertical wire extending in the second direction, disposed between the center of the first light receiving element and the center of the second light receiving element in the first direction, and includes a horizontal wire [wires] extending in the first direction, the vertical wire and the horizontal wire being disposed between the transmitting portion corresponding to the first light receiving element and the first light receiving element in the third direction, and
wherein a transmitting portion corresponding to a light receiving element disposed on a third position in the first direction with respect to the first light-receiving-element row, a transmitting portion corresponding to a light receiving element disposed on the third position with respect to the second light-receiving-element row, and a transmitting portion corresponding to a light receiving element disposed on the third position with respect to the third light-receiving-element row, are transmitting portions each of which transmits different light with each other.

2. The line sensor according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first plurality of gate electrodes each corresponding to a different one of the plurality of light receiving elements disposed in the first light-receiving-element row,
a second plurality of gate electrodes each c

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Akagi Daisuke
• Ogura Masanori
• Iba Jun
• Furubayashi Atsushi

Classifications

• H04N23/12

  with one sensor only · CPC title

• H04N1/0282 Primary

  Using a single or a few point light sources, e.g. a laser diode · CPC title

• H04N1/03

  with photodetectors arranged in a substantially linear array · CPC title

• H04N1/028

  for picture information pick-up · CPC title

• H04N1/191

  the array comprising a one-dimensional [1D] array · CPC title