Image reading apparatus provided with image sensor contained in slidable carriage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9769340-B2
Application number	US-201715475707-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2017
Priority date	Oct 3, 2011
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

An image reading apparatus includes: a contact glass setting a manuscript thereon; an image sensor extending in a first direction and having a reading surface which faces the contact glass for reading an image from the manuscript on the contact glass; a rail member extending inside the apparatus main body in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; a carriage having a sensor container to contain the image sensor, a taper end portion formed in an end portion in the first direction to become smaller in height toward the end side, and an opening formed in the bottom of the sensor container on the taper end portion side; a biased portion adjacent to the reading surface of the image sensor in the second direction; and a biasing member biasing the image sensor toward the contact glass via the biased portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image reading apparatus comprising:
a contact glass having an upper surface and a lower surface which are opposite to each other, the upper surface being configured to support a manuscript thereon;
an image sensor unit disposed below the contact glass and including:
an image sensor configured to read an image of the manuscript supported on the upper surface of the contact glass, the image sensor extending in a first direction and having a first end and a second end which are opposite to each other in the first direction, an upper surface facing the lower surface of the contact glass, and a lower surface opposite to the upper surface; and
a first spacer and a second spacer disposed at the first end and the second end of the image sensor, respectively, and each configured to contact the lower surface of the contact glass to thereby keep constant a distance between the upper surface of the image sensor and the lower surface of the contact glass,

a carriage configured to carry the image sensor unit in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the carriage including a first spring support protrusion and a second spring support protrusion which protrude upward;
a guide member extending in the second direction and configured to guide the carriage in the second direction; and
a first coil spring and a second coil spring wound around and extending further upward than the first spring support protrusion and the second spring support protrusion, respectively, and each configured to urge the image sensor unit toward the contact glass such that the first spacer and the second spacer each contact the lower surface of the contact glass,
wherein the first coil spring and the second coil spring are offset from the image sensor in the second direction, and an upper end of each of the first coil spring and the second coil spring is located below the upper surface of the image sensor and above the lower surface of the image sensor, and
wherein the first coil spring is located closer, in the first direction, to the first spacer than to the guide member, and the second coil spring is located closer, in the first direction, to the second spacer than to the guide member.

2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image sensor unit further includes a holder member configured to support the image sensor, and the first coil spring and the second coil spring are each configured to urge the holder member toward the contact glass.

3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a third coil spring and a fourth coil spring each configured to urge the image sensor unit toward the contact glass such that the first spacer and the second spacer each contact the lower surface of the contact glass,
wherein the carriage further includes a third spring support protrusion and a fourth spring support protrusion which protrude upward and around which the third coil spring and the fourth coil spring are wound to extend further upward than the third spring support protrusion and the fourth spring support protrusion, respectively, and
wherein the third coil spring and the fourth coil spring are located opposite, in the second direction, to the first coil spring and the second coil spring, respectively, relative to the image sensor, and an upper end of each of the third coil spring and the fourth coil spring is located below the upper surface of the image sensor and above the lower surface of the image sensor.

4. The image reading apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the image sensor unit further includes:
a first protrusion and a second protrusion each protruding relative to the image sensor in one direction along the second direction, the first protrusion and the second protrusion being configured to be directly urged by the first coil spring and the second coil spring, respectively, toward the contact glass; and
a third protrusion and a fourth protrusion each protruding relative to the image sensor in the other direction along the second direction, the third protrusion and the fourth protrusion being configured to be directly urged by the third coil spring and the fourth coil spring, respectively, toward the contact glass.

5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the first protrusion, the second protrusion, the third protrusion, and the fourth protrusion are each located below the upper surface of the image sensor and above the lower surface of the image sensor.

6. The image reading apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein each of the third coil spring and the fourth coil spring extends in a vertical direction.

7. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image sensor unit further includes a first protrusion and a second protrusion each protruding relative to the image sensor in the second direction, the first protrusion and the second protrusion being configured to be directly urged by the first coil spring and the second coil spring, respectively, toward the contact glass.

8. The image reading apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the first protrusion and the second protrusion are each located below the upper surface of the image sensor and above the lower surface of the image sensor.

9. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the guide member is a slide shaft.

10. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first coil spring and the second coil spring extends in a vertical direction.

11. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a lower end of each of the first coil spring and the second coil spring is located above the lower surface of the image sensor.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Osakabe Yoshinori
• Tanaka Hiromi

Classifications

• H04N2201/02404

  Arrangements for mounting or supporting heads (H04N2201/02402 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04N1/1043

  of a sensor array · CPC title

• H04N2201/0081

  Image reader (H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04N2201/02429

  Photodetector element, e.g. CCD array · CPC title

• H04N2201/02402

  Arrangements for positioning heads, e.g. with respect to other elements of the apparatus · CPC title