Image reading device and image forming apparatus including the same

Abstract

An image reading device includes an image reader that scans a document so as to read an image of the document. The image reader includes a scanning body in which at least plural mirrors, a condenser lens, and an image sensor are disposed. In the scanning body, concerning positional relationships among the plural mirrors as viewed from a main scanning direction, the plural mirrors are disposed on two sides with respect to an imaginary line extending along an optical axis of reflected light from the document. The mirrors on a corresponding one of the two sides are disposed such that a reflecting position of a mirror on a downstream side in a traveling direction of the reflected light is positioned closer to the document and also to the imaginary line than that of a mirror on an upstream side in the traveling direction of the reflected light.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An image reading device comprising:
 an image reader that scans a document so as to read an image of the document,   the image reader including
 a scanning body in which at least a light source, a plurality of mirrors, a condenser lens, and an image sensor are disposed, wherein 
 the plurality of mirrors include at least a first mirror on which reflected light from the document is incident first, and a second mirror, in a traveling direction of the reflected light, disposed on a downstream side from the first mirror, 
   the first mirror and the second mirror each include a reflecting surface which reflects the reflected light, so as to face each other,   the first mirror is arranged closer to the document than another mirror other than the second mirror, and   the second mirror is arranged closer to the document than the first mirror.   
     
     
         2 . The image reading device according to  claim 1 , wherein, concerning positional relationships among the plurality of mirrors as viewed from a main scanning direction, the plurality of mirrors are disposed on two sides with respect to an imaginary line extending along an optical axis of the reflected light from the document, and
 the second mirror is positioned closer to the document and also to the imaginary line than a third mirror disposed on a same corresponding one of the two sides as the second mirror, and is positioned on a downstream sides the third mirror in the traveling direction of the reflected light.   
     
     
         3 . The image reading device according to  claim 1 , wherein, among the plurality of mirrors, the mirrors other than a mirror positioned on the most upstream side in the traveling direction of the reflected light and a mirror positioned on the most downstream side have the same length in the main scanning direction. 
     
     
         4 . The image reading device according to  claim 2 , wherein, among the mirrors having the same length in the main scanning direction, concerning widths of the mirrors in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the mirrors, the width of a mirror positioned on the most downstream side in the traveling direction of the reflected light is greater than the widths of the other mirrors. 
     
     
         5 . The image reading device according to  claim 1 , wherein, concerning positional relationships among the mirrors and the image sensor as viewed from the main scanning direction, the mirrors positioned on the corresponding one of the two sides and the image sensor are disposed on the upstream side in an image reading direction of a sub-scanning direction with respect to the imaginary line, the image reading direction being a direction in which the image of the document is read. 
     
     
         6 . The image reading device according to  claim 1 , wherein, concerning positional relationships among the mirrors as viewed from the main scanning direction, the mirrors positioned on the corresponding one of the two sides do not overlap the condenser lens in a sub-scanning direction. 
     
     
         7 . The image reading device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the plurality of mirrors further include the third, fourth and fifth mirrors, and the reflected light from the document is sequentially reflected by the first, the third, fourth, the second and the fifth mirrors and light reflected by the fifth mirror is guided to the condenser lens; and   the mirrors positioned on the corresponding one of the two sides are the second and the third mirrors, and mirrors positioned on the other one of the two sides are the fourth and the fifth mirrors.   
     
     
         8 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
 the image reading device according to  claim 1 .