Image reading apparatus
An image reading apparatus includes: a contact glass provided at an upper surface of a main body of the apparatus to set a manuscript thereon, an image sensor being positioned below the contact glass and having a reading surface on contact glass side for reading an image from the manuscript on the contact glass, a carriage supporting the image sensor accommodated in a sensor container formed to have a recess open to the contact glass side, a rail member slidably supporting the carriage, and a biasing member biasing the image sensor to the contact glass side via a biased portion adjacent to the reading surface of the image sensor. An upper end of the biasing member is positioned below the contact glass and above the lower surface of the image sensor.
1. An image reading apparatus configured to read an image of a manuscript, the apparatus comprising:
a contact glass which is provided at an upper surface of a main body of the apparatus to set the manuscript thereon;
an image sensor which is positioned below the contact glass and configured to read the image of the manuscript on the contact glass, the image sensor having an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to the upper surface;
a carriage on which the image sensor is mounted;
a rail member which extends in a first direction and slidably supports the carriage such that the carriage moves in the first direction;
a first spring disposed at a first position spaced apart from the image sensor in the first direction; and
a second spring disposed at a second position spaced apart from the image sensor in the first direction and from the first position in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction,
wherein the first spring and the second spring are configured to bias the image sensor to the contact glass side, and
the first position of the first spring and the second position of the second spring, which are spaced apart from the image sensor in the first direction, are below the upper surface of the image sensor and above the lower surface of the image sensor.
2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a first holder member and a second holder member configured to support the image sensor.
3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first spring and the second spring are configured to bias the image sensor to the contact glass side via the first holder member and the second holder member, respectively.
4. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a third spring disposed at a third position, which is spaced apart from the image sensor in the first direction and which is on a side opposite to the first position with respect to the image sensor in the first direction; and
a fourth spring disposed at a fourth position, which is spaced apart from the image sensor in the first direction and which is on a side opposite to the second position with respect to the image sensor in the first direction.
5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the first spring and the third spring are configured to bias the image sensor to the contact glass via the first holder member, and the second spring and the fourth spring are configured to bias the image sensor to the contact glass via the second holder member.
6. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the carriage comprises a first spring support portion configured to support the first spring at the first position and a second spring support portion configured to support the second spring at the second position,
the first spring is compressed between the first spring support portion and the first holder member in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, such that the first holder member is biased to the contact glass side by restoring force of the first spring, and
the second spring is compressed between the second spring support portion and the second holder member in the third direction, such that the second holder member is biased to the contact glass side by restoring force of the second spring.
7. The image reading apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the first holder member includes a first biased portion which is positioned above the lower surface of the image sensor supported by the first holder member and which is biased by the first spring, and
the second holder member includes a second biased portion which is positioned above the lower surface of the image sensor supported by the second holder member and which is biased by the second spring.
8. The image reading apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the first biased portion and the second biased portion are disposed between both ends of the image sensor in the second direction.
9. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first spring and the second spring includes a coil portion.
10. The image reading apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein an axis of the coil portion extends in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction.
11. The image reading apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the coil portion is compressed.
12. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first position is on a first side in the first direction with respect to the rail member and the second position is on a second side opposite to the first side in the first direction with respect to the rail member.
13. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image sensor is a contact image sensor.
14. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image reading apparatus is mounted on a printer.
15. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image sensor is accommodated in the carriage.