Image reading apparatus

Abstract

In an image reading apparatus, a magnetic shielding member suppresses interference of an electromagnetic wave for power supply or an electromagnetic wave for transmission and reception of ID information that would otherwise propagate to a reading unit with a carrier cable of the reading unit and the like. Thus, even if an ID-information obtaining unit obtains ID information of an electronic tag of an RFID card while an image read surface of the RFID card is being imaged by the reading unit, an influence of the electromagnetic wave for power supply, the electromagnetic wave for transmission and reception of the ID information, or both over the reading unit can be suppressed. With this, even if pickup image data representing the image read surface of the RFID card and the ID information of the electronic tag are simultaneously obtained, the obtained pickup image data representing the image read surface of the RFID card can be of high quality.

1 . An image reading apparatus comprising:
 a light source that emits light toward a card mounting surface where an RFID card is placed, the RFID card having incorporated therein a tag having ID information stored therein and an ID-information transmitting unit that receives an electromagnetic wave for power supply and transmits the ID information with an electromagnetic wave for transmission and reception of the ID information;   a reading unit that images, based on the light from the light source, an image read surface of the RFID card on a card mounting surface side when the RFID card is placed on the card mounting surface and outputs a pickup image signal representing the image read surface of the RFID card;   an image-data generating unit that generates pickup image data of the image read surface of the RFID card based on the output pickup image signal;   a transmitting and receiving unit that transmits the electromagnetic wave for power supply and receives the electromagnetic wave for transmission and reception of the ID information;   an ID-information obtaining unit that obtains the ID information based on the received electromagnetic wave for transmission and reception of the ID information; and   an interference suppressing unit that suppresses interference of at least either one of the electromagnetic wave for power supply and the electromagnetic wave for transmission and reception of the ID information with the reading unit, wherein   when the RFID card is imaged by the reading unit, the ID-information obtaining unit obtains the ID information.   
   
   
       2 . The image reading apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the reading unit includes an image pickup device that images the image read surface of the RFID card based on the light from the light source and outputs the pickup image signal representing the image read surface of the RFID card and a carrier cable that transmits the pickup image signal to the image-data generating unit, and   the interference suppressing unit suppresses interference of at least either one of the electromagnetic wave for power supply and the electromagnetic wave for transmission and reception of the ID information with at least either one of the image pickup device and the carrier cable.   
   
   
       3 . The image reading apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the interference suppressing unit includes one of a magnetic shielding member and a magnetic shielding material provided to the carrier cable.   
   
   
       4 . The image reading apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the interference suppressing unit includes one of a magnetic shielding member mounted on the image pickup device and a magnetic shielding material provided to a casing of the image pickup device.   
   
   
       5 . The image reading apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the interference suppressing unit includes a closed-loop coil that forms a suppression area disposed in a propagation area where at least either one of the electromagnetic wave for power supply and the electromagnetic wave for transmission and reception of the ID information is propagated and a magnetic-flux change is suppressed based on the magnetic-flux change in the propagation area, and   at least either one of the image pickup device and the carrier cable is disposed in the suppression area.   
   
   
       6 . The image reading apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein
 the interference suppressing unit is disposed not to partition the propagation area with the suppression area between the transmitting and receiving unit and the ID-information transmitting unit.   
   
   
       7 . The image reading apparatus according to  claims 1 , wherein
 the image reading apparatus is of a flatbed type, and   the transmitting and receiving unit is provided on a lid member that covers the card mounting surface.   
   
   
       8 . The image reading apparatus according to  claims 1 , wherein
 the image reading apparatus is of a flatbed type, and   the transmitting and receiving unit is provided inside of a housing including the card mounting surface.   
   
   
       9 . The image reading apparatus according to  claims 1 , further comprising an interface for output at least either one of the pickup image data and the ID information to an external device. 
   
   
       10 . The image reading apparatus according to  claim 9 , further comprising an encrypting unit that encrypts at least either one of the pickup image data and the ID information to be output when at least either one of the pickup image data and the ID information is output to the external device via the interface. 
   
   
       11 . The image reading apparatus according to  claims 1 , further comprising an additional-information input unit for inputting additional information about the RFID card to the image reading apparatus through a manual operation.