Image reading device and image forming device

Abstract

To provide an image reading device capable of improving a quality of a reading image, and provide an image formation apparatus having the same.SOLUTION: An image reading device comprises: a substrate in which a plurality of light sources is arranged in a longitudinal direction; a light guide part that includes a first holding part that holds the substrate, and a second holding part that is arranged at a position different from the first holding part in the longitudinal direction and holds the substrate, the light guide part guiding light emitted from the plurality of light sources; a support member that supports the light guide part; and an image reading part that reads image information by performing photoelectric conversion of reflected light from a sheet receiving the light emitted from the light guide part. The support member has a projection part that is arranged between the first holding part and the second holding part in the longitudinal direction, projects to the substrate held by the first holding part and the second holding part, and is opposite to the substrate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image reading device that reads an image of a sheet and an image forming device including the same.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, an image forming device such as a copier or a facsimile includes an image reading device that optically reads an image of a document. In this image reading device, there is known one provided with a lighting unit in which a plurality of LEDs (point light sources) are linearly arranged to illuminate the document. For example, a lighting unit has been proposed in which light emitted from a plurality of LEDs provided on an LED substrate is guided to the document by a light guide (see Patent Document 1). This light guide guides light emitted from a plurality of LEDs and diffused in a circular shape along the main scanning direction (LED arrangement direction) at the time of document reading toward the document surface.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, the LED substrate used in the lighting unit is generally produced by bonding a plurality of sheets during component manufacturing and is divided into individual sheets before being mounted on the product. When the LED substrate is divided, deformations such as undulations and bends of the LED substrate may occur. In the lighting unit described in Patent Document 1, if a deformed LED substrate is used, the emission surface of the LED and the incident surface of the light guide are displaced, and the amount of light illuminating the document becomes non-uniform in the LED arrangement direction (main scanning direction). As a result, there is a risk that the lighting unit cannot obtain a high-quality read image with stable color tone.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an image reading device capable of improving the quality of read images and an image forming apparatus equipped therewith. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention relates to an image reading device comprising: a substrate having a plurality of light sources arranged in the longitudinal direction; a first holding portion for holding the substrate; a second holding portion positioned at a different location from the first holding portion in the longitudinal direction and also holding the substrate; a light guide portion for guiding light emitted from the plurality of light sources; a support member for supporting the light guide portion; and an image reading unit for photoelectrically converting reflected light from a sheet that has received light emitted from the light guide portion to read image information, wherein the support member is a protruding portion positioned between the first holding portion and the second holding portion in the longitudinal direction, protruding toward the substrate held by the first holding portion and the second holding portion, and having a protruding portion facing the substrate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the quality of the read image can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A schematic diagram showing the printer according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] A cross-sectional view showing the reading unit. [Figure 3] A cross-sectional view showing the scanner unit. [Figure 4] A perspective view showing the lighting unit. [Figure 5] (a) is an exploded perspective view of the light guide unit viewed from above, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of the light guide unit viewed from below. [Figure 6] A plan view showing the base section. [Figure 7] (a) is a perspective view of the light guide unit from above, and (b) is a perspective view of the light guide unit from below. [Figure 8](a) is a bottom view showing the assembly of the LED board into the light guide, and (b) is a front view and a close-up front view showing the LED board being held in the slot. [Figure 9] (a) is a cross-sectional view showing the lighting unit, and (b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the lighting unit. [Figure 10] A cross-sectional view showing a lighting unit related to a comparative example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise specifically stated, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in the following embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of application of this technology to those components only.

[0010] [Printer Configuration Overview] First, the general configuration of the printer 101 as an image forming apparatus will be explained with reference to Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, the printer 101 comprises a printer body 101A and an image reading device 103. The image reading device 103, located above the printer body 101A, comprises a reading unit 30 and an ADF 1, as will be described in more detail later, and optically scans the original document D to read image information. The original document D is a sheet of paper such as paper and envelopes, plastic film such as overhead projector sheets (OHT), or cloth. The image information converted into an electrical signal by the image reading device 103 is transferred to a control unit 122 provided in the printer body 101A. In this embodiment, the front side of the device when standing facing the operation panel (not shown) for operating the printer 101 is defined as the front side, and the back side of the device is defined as the back side.

[0011] The printer body 101A includes an image forming unit 119 for forming an image on a recording medium sheet P, a sheet feeding unit 34 for feeding the sheet P to the image forming unit 119, and a manual feed unit 117. The sheet feeding unit 34 is equipped with sheet storage units 137a, 137b, 137c, and 137d that can store sheets of different sizes. Sheets stored in each sheet storage unit are fed out by a pickup roller 32, separated one by one by a feed roller 33a and a retard roller 33b, and passed to the corresponding transport roller pair 120. The sheet P is then passed sequentially to a plurality of transport roller pairs 120 arranged along the sheet transport path, and is transported to a registration roller pair 136.

[0012] The sheet P, placed on the manual feed tray 137e of the manual feed unit 117 by the user, is fed into the printer body 101A by the feed roller 138 and transported to the registration roller pair 136. The registration roller pair 136 stops the leading edge of the sheet P to correct its skew and resumes transporting the sheet P in accordance with the progress of the image formation operation, which is the toner image formation process by the image forming unit 119.

[0013] The image forming unit 119, which forms an image on the sheet P, is an electrophotographic unit equipped with a photosensitive drum 121, which is a photoreceptor. The photosensitive drum 121 is rotatable along the transport direction of the sheet P, and a charger 118, an exposure unit 123, a developer 124, a transfer charger 125, a separation charger 126, and a cleaner 127 are arranged around the photosensitive drum 121. The charger 118 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 121, and the exposure unit 123 exposes the photosensitive drum 121 based on image information input from an image reading device 103, etc., to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 121.

[0014] The developing unit 124 contains a two-component developer including toner and carrier, and develops an electrostatic latent image into a toner image by supplying charged toner to the photosensitive drum 121. The toner image carried on the photosensitive drum 121 is transferred to the sheet P conveyed from the registration roller pair 136 by the bias electric field formed by the transfer charger 125. The sheet P to which the toner image has been transferred is separated from the photosensitive drum 121 by the bias electric field formed by the separation charger 126, and is conveyed toward the fixing unit 129 by the pre-fixing conveyance unit 128. In addition, deposits such as transfer residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 121 without being transferred to the sheet P are removed by the cleaner 127, and the photosensitive drum 121 is prepared for the next image forming operation.

[0015] The sheet P conveyed to the fixing unit 129 is heated while being sandwiched and pressurized by a roller pair, and the image is fixed by melting and fixing of the toner. When the image output is completed, the sheet P on which the fixed image has been obtained is discharged to the discharge tray 130 protruding outside the printer main body 101A via the discharge roller pair 40. When forming an image on the back surface of the sheet P in double-sided printing, the sheet P that has passed through the fixing unit 129 is reversed by the reversing unit 139 so that the front and back surfaces are swapped, and is conveyed to the registration roller pair 136 by the double-sided conveyance unit 140. Then, the sheet P on which the image has been formed again by the image forming unit 119 is discharged to the discharge tray 130.

[0016] [Image reading device] Next, referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the configuration of the image reading device 103 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the ADF 1 conveys the document D placed on the document feed tray 2 toward the document discharge tray 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the reading unit 30 has an exterior formed by a frame 30a, and a document table glass 31 and a platen glass 31a are arranged on the upper surface of the frame 30a. Inside the frame 30a, a scanner unit 50 is held, and the scanner unit 50 is configured to be movable parallel to the document table glass 31 by a wire or belt (not shown) driven by a motor.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, the scanner unit 50 is a sensor unit using the CCD (Charge Coupled Devices) method. Specifically, the scanner unit 50 includes a box frame 51, an illumination unit 55 attached to the upper part of the box frame 51, mirrors 52a, 52b, 52c, 52d, 52e, a lens unit 53, and a CCD 54.

[0018] The illumination unit 55 has two light guide units 56L and 56R. The lights L1 and L2 emitted from these light guide units 56L and 56R toward the original document D are condensed at the original document irradiation position F set on the image reading surface, which is the lower surface of the original document D, and then reflected. The reflected light L3 reflected at the original document irradiation position F of the original document D forms an image on the CCD 54 through the mirrors 52a, 52b, 52c, 52d, 52e and the lens unit 53. The CCD 54, which serves as an image reading unit, photoelectrically converts the image formed by the reflected light L3 and outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the image on the image reading surface of the original document D to the control unit 122.

[0019] The image reading apparatus 103 configured as described above reads image information from the original document D in a through-feed mode in which the original document D is fed by the ADF1 while scanning the original document image, and a fixed reading mode in which the original document placed on the platen glass 31 is scanned. The through-feed mode is selected when the apparatus detects the original document D placed on the original document feed tray 2 or when the user explicitly instructs it via the operation panel of the printer main body 101A or the like. In this case, with the scanner unit 50 located below the platen glass 31a, the ADF1 feeds the original document D placed on the original document feed tray 2 one by one. Then, the scanner unit 50 irradiates the image reading surface of the original document D with scanning light through the platen glass 31a and scans it. That is, the scanner unit 50 scans in the sub-scanning direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 1) to read the image of the original document D placed on the platen glass 31.

[0020] On the other hand, the fixed scanning mode is selected when the device detects a document D placed on the document glass 31 or when the user explicitly instructs it to be selected via the control panel of the printer body 101A or the like. In fixed scanning mode, the user first opens the ADF1 and places the document on the document glass 31, then closes the ADF1 to position the document on the document glass 31. The scanner unit 50 then moves along the document glass 31, irradiating it with light to scan the document D placed on the document glass 31. Note that separate scanner units may be provided for executing the scrolling scanning mode and for executing the fixed scanning mode.

[0021] [Lighting unit configuration] As shown in Figure 4, the lighting unit 55 comprises light guide units 56L and 56R, and a base portion 80 which serves as a support member to which these light guide units 56L and 56R are attached. The light guide units 56L and 56R have the same configuration and are arranged symmetrically in the sub-scanning direction. Therefore, only the light guide unit 56R will be described below, and the description of the light guide unit 56L will be omitted.

[0022] As shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b), the light guide unit 56R comprises a light guide 70 as a light guide and an LED substrate 60 as a substrate. The LED substrate 60 comprises a substrate portion 61, a plurality of LEDs 62 as light sources mounted on the substrate portion 61, and a connector portion 63 electrically connected to the plurality of LEDs 62. Here, the plurality of LEDs 62 are mounted linearly in the longitudinal direction of the substrate portion 61, and this mounting direction is the same as the main scanning direction which is perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction described above. The plurality of LEDs 62 are powered via the connector portion 63 by electrical wiring (not shown). The dashed area shown in Figure 5(a) is the insertion portion 61a included in the substrate portion 61. The substrate portion 61 also has a mounting surface 61b on which the LEDs 62 are mounted and a back surface 61c which is the opposite side of the mounting surface 61b. The connector portion 63 is attached to the back surface 61c of the substrate portion 61. In the following, the sub-scanning direction, which is the direction of movement of the scanner unit 50, is defined as the y-direction, the main scanning direction as the x-direction, and the vertical direction perpendicular to the x-direction and y-direction as the z-direction. The x-direction is the longitudinal direction of the LED substrate 60, the y-direction is the short-direction of the LED substrate 60, and the z-direction is the thickness direction of the LED substrate 60. These x-direction, y-direction, and z-direction intersect with each other. The z-direction is also the direction along the vertical direction.

[0023] The light guide 70 has arc-shaped contact portions 71a and 71b formed at both ends in the x-direction that abut against the base portion 80, slot portions 76, 77, and 78 for holding the LED substrate 60, and a positioning pin portion 76b that is inserted into the base portion 80. The slot portions 76, 77, and 78 are arranged at different positions in the x-direction. The slot portions 76 and 77 constitute a first and second holding portion for holding the LED substrate 60, respectively.

[0024] The positioning pin portion 76b extends downward from the lower surface 76a of the slot portion 76. The light guide 70 also includes an incident surface 74 into which light emitted from multiple LEDs 62 enters, and an exit surface 75 that emits the incident light toward the document illumination position F of the document D. The incident surface 74 extends continuously in the x direction. Light incident from the incident surface 74 passes through the light guide 70 and is guided to the exit surface 75.

[0025] As shown in Figure 6, the base portion 80 has support portions 81a and 81b that support the contact portions 71a and 71b, respectively, and an oval hole portion 82 into which the positioning pin portion 76b is inserted. The base portion 80 also has a bottom surface 87 as a surface extending along the x and y directions, a plurality of protrusions 86a, 86b, 86c, and 86d extending upward from the bottom surface 87 in the z direction, i.e., the vertical direction, and holes 83a and 83b through which a tool pin (not shown) is inserted. Another set of similar support portions, oval holes, and protrusions is formed on the base portion 80 for attaching the light guide unit 56L. Furthermore, the bottom surface 87 of the base portion 80 is provided with an opening 84 for allowing reflected light L3 from the original document D to pass into the inside of the box frame 51. That is, the reflected light L3 passes through the opening 84.

[0026] [Mounting the LED circuit board to the light guide unit] As shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b), the LED substrate 60 is held in place by the light guide 70 when its insertion portion 61a (see Figure 5(a)) is inserted into the slot portions 76, 77, and 78 of the light guide 70.

[0027] Here, as shown in Figure 8(a), the substrate portion 61 has notches 64a and 64c formed at both ends in the x-direction, and a notch 64b formed in the center in the x-direction. These notches 64a, 64b, and 64c are recessed in the y-direction. The notches 64a, 64b, and 64c are provided at positions opposite to the slot portions 76, 77, and 78, respectively. The notches 64a and 64b constitute the first recess and the second recess, respectively.

[0028] When the insertion portion 61a of the LED substrate 60 is inserted into the slot portions 76, 77, and 78, the slot portion 77 engages with the notch portion 64b in the x-direction. This engagement restricts the displacement of the LED substrate 60 relative to the light guide 70 in the x-direction (main scanning direction, longitudinal direction). At this time, sufficient spacing is provided between the notch portion 64a and the slot portion 76, and between the notch portion 64c and the slot portion 78, so that they do not interfere with each other in the x-direction. Due to the heat generated by the illumination of the LED 62 and the thermal expansion of the components due to temperature changes in the external environment, a difference in displacement in the x-direction may occur between the light guide 70 and the LED substrate 60 due to differences in the coefficient of thermal expansion. However, by providing the above-mentioned spacing, it is possible to prevent warping and distortion caused by tension between the light guide 70 and the LED substrate 60.

[0029] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8(b), the insertion portion 61a is clamped between the slot portions 76, 77, and 78 and the opposing surface 70a of the light guide 70, which faces the bottom surface 87 of the base portion 80 (see Figure 6) in the z-direction. Specifically, the slot portions 76, 77, and 78 have a roughly U-shaped cross-section with one side open in the y-direction, and ribs 76c, 77c, and 78c are formed inside the slot portions 76, 77, and 78, respectively, as clamping portions. The ribs 76c, 77c, and 78c abut against the back surface 61c of the substrate portion 61. The opposing surface 70a abuts against the mounting surface 61b of the substrate portion 61. When the insertion portion 61a of the LED substrate 60 is inserted between the ribs 76c, 77c, 78c and the opposing surface 70a, the ribs 76c, 77c, 78c elastically deform, and the insertion portion 61a is clamped by the opposing surface 70a and the ribs 76c, 77c, 78c with a predetermined clamping pressure. This restricts the displacement of the LED substrate 60 in the z direction (vertical direction) relative to the light guide 70. Furthermore, if the LED substrate 60 originally has warping near the slot portions 76, 77, 78, it is possible to correct that warping.

[0030] [Attaching the light guide unit to the base] When attaching the light guide unit 56R to the base portion 80, first, as shown in Figures 4 to 7(b), the operator supports the contact portions 71a and 71b of the light guide 70 with the support portions 81a and 81b, and inserts the positioning pin portion 76b into the oval hole portion 82. This restricts the displacement of the light guide unit 56R relative to the base portion 80 in the x direction (main scanning direction) and the y direction (sub-scanning direction).

[0031] Then, the worker inserts a tool pin (not shown) from below into the holes 83a and 83b of the base. This causes the contact portions 71a and 71b to contact the support portions 81a and 81b of the base 80, and the tool pin to contact the lower surfaces 76a and 78a of the slot portions 76 and 78. The worker adjusts the position of the tool pin so that the lower surfaces 76a and 78a are at approximately the same height, and then fixes the tool pin to the base 80. This determines the position of the light guide unit 56R in the z direction (vertical direction).

[0032] [Corrected configuration of LED substrate] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a lighting unit 55B according to a comparative example. The lighting unit 55B has the same configuration as the lighting unit 55 according to this embodiment, except for the base portion 80B. As shown in Figure 10, the base portion 80B of the lighting unit 55B does not have a plurality of protrusions 86a, 86b, 86c, 86d on its bottom surface 87. Therefore, if the light guide 70 is warped in places other than the slot portions 76, 77, 78, there is a risk that the emission surface of the LED 62 of the LED substrate 60 and the incident surface 74 of the light guide 70 will be misaligned in the z direction, especially between the slot portions 76, 77, 78. As a result, the amount of light emitted from the light guide 70 at the original illumination position F of the original document may not be uniform in the x direction, and there is a risk that a high-quality scanned image with stable color may not be obtained.

[0033] For example, if the LED substrate 60 is deformed so that the LED 62 is shifted upward in the z direction from the incident surface 74, the deformation of the LED substrate 60 is corrected by the opposing surface 70a. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 10, if the LED substrate 60 is deformed so that the LED 62 is shifted downward in the z direction from the incident surface 74, the LED substrate 60 remains deformed within the gap between the LED substrate 60 and the bottom surface 87 of the base portion 80. For this reason, as described above, the amount of light emitted from the light guide 70 at the document irradiation position F of the document is not uniform in the x direction.

[0034] Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 6 and 9(a), a plurality of protrusions 86a, 86b, 86c, and 86d are provided on the bottom surface 87 of the base portion 80. The protrusions 86a and 86b, which are the first and second protrusions, are arranged between the slot portions 76 and 77 in the x-direction. The protrusions 86c and 86d are arranged between the slot portions 77 and 78 in the x-direction. These protrusions 86a, 86b, 86c, and 86d protrude upward in the z-direction from the bottom surface 87 of the base portion 80, that is, toward the LED substrate 60, and face the LED substrate 60.

[0035] In this embodiment, two protrusions are arranged between slot sections 76 and 77 and between slot sections 77 and 78 in the x-direction, but this is not limited to this. For example, one or more protrusions may be provided between slot sections 76 and 77 and between slot sections 77 and 78. Also, the number of protrusions provided between slot sections 76 and 77 and between slot sections 77 and 78 may differ from each other. Furthermore, the shape and size of the protrusions are not limited; for example, a protrusion extending in the x-direction along the entire length between slot sections 76 and 77 may be provided.

[0036] In this embodiment, since protrusions 86a, 86b, 86c, and 86d are provided on the bottom surface 87 of the base portion 80, even if the LED substrate 60 is deformed to bend downward before being assembled to the light guide 70, the deformation of the LED substrate 60 can be corrected. That is, the amount of deformation of the LED substrate 60 can be reduced in the gap between the LED substrate 60 and the bottom surface 87 of the base portion 80 by the height of the protrusions 86a, 86b, 86c, and 86d. As a result, the amount of light emitted from the light guide 70 becomes uniform in the x direction at the original document irradiation position F, and a high-quality scanned image with stable color can be obtained.

[0037] Furthermore, the tips of the protrusions 86a, 86b, 86c, and 86d are positioned lower in the z-direction than the tips of the ribs 76c, 77c, and 78c provided in the slot portions 76, 77, and 78. In other words, the tips of the protrusions 86a, 86b, 86c, and 86d are positioned further from the LED substrate 60 in the z-direction than the tips of the ribs 76c, 77c, and 78c provided in the slot portions 76, 77, and 78. For example, as shown in Figure 9(b), the tip 88a of the protrusion 86a in the z-direction is positioned lower in the z-direction by a distance L than the tip 76d of the rib 76c provided in the slot portion 76. In other words, the tip 88a is positioned further from the back surface 61c of the substrate portion 61 (see Figure 9(a)) in the z-direction (thickness direction) than the tip 76d, which is the contact portion between the rib 76c and the LED substrate 60.

[0038] As a result, if the LED substrate 60 is not deformed, the light guide 70 can be assembled to the base portion 80 without contacting the protrusions 86a, 86b, 86c, and 86d. On the other hand, if the LED substrate 60 is bent downward in the z direction by a distance L or more, the tips of the protrusions 86a, 86b, 86c, and 86d will contact the back surface 61c of the substrate portion 61. For example, the tips of the protrusions 86a and 86b are configured to be able to contact the LED substrate 60 at a position between the slot portions 76 and 77. As a result, the deformation of the LED substrate 60 can be corrected at a position between the slot portions 76 and 77.

[0039] In the above configuration, the LED substrate 60 is inserted until multiple LEDs 62 contact the incident surface 74 of the light guide 70, thereby positioning the LED substrate 60 relative to the light guide 70. When the light guide unit 56R is assembled to the base portion 80, the LED substrate 60 is corrected for deformation such as warping by the protrusions 86a, 86b, 86c, and 86d provided on the base portion 80. As a result, the misalignment in the z-direction between the emission surface of the LEDs 62 and the incident surface 74 of the light guide 70 caused by deformation of the LED substrate 60 can be reduced. This makes the amount of light emitted from the light guide 70 uniform in the x-direction, and enables the acquisition of high-quality read images with stable color.

[0040] Furthermore, if the number and length of the slots provided in the light guide 70 are increased compared to this embodiment to correct the deformation of the LED substrate 60, the amount of light escaping into the slots increases, resulting in a decrease in the amount of light emitted from the emission surface 75 of the light guide 70. In this case, it becomes necessary to increase the amount of light output from the LEDs applied to the LED substrate 60, which leads to drawbacks such as increased costs due to the upgraded LED specifications and increased heat generation. In this embodiment, by providing three slots 76, 77, and 78 in the light guide 70, the amount of light escaping from the slots 76, 77, and 78 is reduced while securely holding the LED substrate 60. In addition, deformation of the LED substrate 60 that occurs between the slots 76, 77, and 78 in the x-direction can be corrected by the opposing surface 70a and the protrusions 86a, 86b, 86c, and 86d. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a high-quality read image with stable color while suppressing the decrease in the amount of light emitted from the emission surface 75.

[0041] <Other Embodiments> In this embodiment, there are three slots 76, 77, and 78, and three notches 64a, 64b, and 64c, but there may be one to two or four or more. In that case, it is desirable to have at least one slot that fits into the notch in the main scanning direction, located near the center in the main scanning direction.

[0042] Furthermore, although this embodiment describes a lighting unit 55 using an LED substrate 60, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to a lighting unit equipped with a substrate that has a light source other than an LED.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the slot portion formed in the light guide was formed in a substantially U-shape in cross-section, but is not limited to this. Also, in this embodiment, the protrusions 86a, 86b, 86c, and 86d are located below the back surface 61c of the LED substrate 60, but is not limited to this. The lighting unit 55, including the base portion 80 and the light guide units 56L and 56R, may be arranged in any orientation; for example, the protrusions 86a, 86b, 86c, and 86d may be located above the back surface 61c of the LED substrate 60.

[0044] Furthermore, the image reading device 103 is not limited to having an ADF1, and may only have a pressure plate that presses the original document against the document glass 31 from above.

[0045] Furthermore, although this embodiment has been described using an electrophotographic printer 101, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to an inkjet image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet by ejecting ink liquid from a nozzle. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0046] 54: Image reading unit (CCD) / 60: Substrate (LED substrate) / 62: Multiple light sources (LEDs) / 64a: First recess (notch) / 64b: Second recess (notch) / 70: Light guide / 70a: Opposing surface / 76: First holding part (slot) / 76c, 77c: Clamping part (rib) / 76d: Tip (contact part) / 77: Second holding part (slot) / 80: Support member (base) / 84: Opening / 86a: Protrusion, first protrusion (convex part) / 86b: Second protrusion (convex part) / 87: Surface (bottom surface) / 88a: Tip / 101: Printer (image forming apparatus) / 103: Image reading device / 119: Image forming unit / L3: Reflected light / x: Longitudinal direction / y: Shortitudinal direction / z: Thickness direction

Claims

1. A substrate with multiple light sources arranged in the longitudinal direction, A light guide unit having a first holding portion for holding the substrate, a second holding portion positioned at a different location from the first holding portion in the longitudinal direction and also holding the substrate, and guiding light emitted from the plurality of light sources, A support member that supports the light guide portion, The system includes an image reading unit that converts the reflected light from the sheet, which receives light emitted from the light guide unit, into photoelectric data to read image information. The support member is a projection positioned between the first holding portion and the second holding portion in the longitudinal direction, projecting toward the substrate held by the first holding portion and the second holding portion, and having a projection facing the substrate. An image reading device characterized by the following:

2. The support member has a surface that extends along the short direction intersecting the thickness direction and the longitudinal direction of the substrate, and along the longitudinal direction. The aforementioned protrusion extends from the surface toward the substrate in the thickness direction. The image reading device according to feature 1.

3. The aforementioned surface is provided with an opening through which the reflected light passes. The image reading device according to feature 2.

4. The light guide portion has a facing surface that faces the surface in the thickness direction and contacts the substrate, Each of the first and second holding portions has a clamping portion that clamps the substrate in the thickness direction together with the opposing surface, The tip of the protruding portion in the thickness direction is located at a position further away from the substrate in the thickness direction than the contact portion between the clamping portion and the substrate. The image reading device according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The tip of the protruding portion is configured to be able to contact the substrate at a position between the first holding portion and the second holding portion in the longitudinal direction. The image reading device according to feature 4.

6. The aforementioned thickness direction is the direction aligned with the vertical direction. The aforementioned protrusion extends upward from the surface. The image reading device according to any one of claims 2 to 5.

7. The substrate is provided at positions corresponding to the first holding portion and the second holding portion, and has a first recess and a second recess that are recessed in the short direction, The first retaining portion and the second retaining portion restrict the movement of the substrate in the longitudinal direction by engaging with the first recess and the second recess, respectively. The image reading device according to any one of claims 2 to 6.

8. The aforementioned protrusion is a first protrusion, The support member has a second projection that is positioned between the first projection and the second holding portion in the longitudinal direction, and which protrudes toward the substrate held by the first holding portion and the second holding portion, and has a second projection that faces the substrate. The image reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. An image reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, The system comprises an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, An image forming apparatus characterized by the following features.

Images