A method and apparatus for subdividing and printing regions of a substrate with multiple print heads or multiple print head assemblies which substantially decreases printing time is described. The method includes a feathering method which reduces overlap artifacts which is useful in any printing situation where adjacent regions are printed that could be misaligned, offset, or have slightly different colors.

An optical member includes a lens array including lens bodies, and transmissive members. The transmissive members are made of a material having a uniform refractive index, and are disposed at positions nearer an object-to-be-read than the corresponding lens bodies are disposed or at positions farther from the object-to-be-read than the corresponding lens bodies are disposed. The transmissive members have a columnar shape extending along the optical axes of the lens bodies, and allow light incident through one end faces to exit through the other end faces. At least either ones of the lens bodies or the transmissive members are arranged with distances therebetween larger than errors in the arrangement of the lens bodies and the transmissive members.

An optical member includes a lens array including lens bodies, and transmissive members. The transmissive members are made of a material having a uniform refractive index, and are disposed at positions nearer an object-to-be-read than the corresponding lens bodies are disposed or at positions farther from the object-to-be-read than the corresponding lens bodies are disposed. The transmissive members have a columnar shape extending along the optical axes of the lens bodies, and allow light incident through one end faces to exit through the other end faces. At least either ones of the lens bodies or the transmissive members are arranged with distances therebetween larger than errors in the arrangement of the lens bodies and the transmissive members.

In a line sensor including color filters that are periodically disposed in a light-receiving-element row, a problem called a mixture of colors occurs. A mixture of colors occurs when light that has been transmitted through a color filter differing from a color filter corresponding to a light receiving element is incident upon the light receiving element.

In a CMOS sensor 107 including a light-receiving-element row in which a plurality of photodiodes 1204 are disposed side by side in a main scanning direction and a plurality of color filters 1202 that are disposed in correspondence with the plurality of photodiodes 1204, the center of each color filter 1202 is displaced in a direction of the center of the light-receiving-element row from the center of the photodiode 1204 corresponding to the color filter.

In a line sensor including color filters that are periodically disposed in a light-receiving-element row, a problem called a mixture of colors occurs. A mixture of colors occurs when light that has been transmitted through a color filter differing from a color filter corresponding to a light receiving element is incident upon the light receiving element.

In a CMOS sensor 107 including a light-receiving-element row in which a plurality of photodiodes 1204 are disposed side by side in a main scanning direction and a plurality of color filters 1202 that are disposed in correspondence with the plurality of photodiodes 1204, the center of each color filter 1202 is displaced in a direction of the center of the light-receiving-element row from the center of the photodiode 1204 corresponding to the color filter.

A scanning inkjet printing method comprises arranging a recording medium on a print surface; moving a carriage supporting at least one inkjet print head over the recording medium on the print surface in a scanning direction, while image-wise applying droplets of a liquid to the recording medium to form a first swath of printed dots on the recording medium; moving the recording medium and the carriage relative to each other in a transport direction, wherein the transport direction is transverse to the scanning direction; moving the carriage over the recording medium on the print surface in the scanning direction, while image-wise applying droplets of the liquid to the recording medium to form a second swath of printed dots on the recording medium; detecting a position of the first swath; determining a sub-carriage movement relative to the carriage in response to the detected position of the first swath to position the second swath relative to the first swath, wherein the sub-carriage is supported by the carriage and the movement comprises an amount of translation in the transport direction transverse to the scanning direction and an amount of rotation around a rotation axis, wherein said rotation axis is perpendicular to the print surface; and moving the sub-carriage in accordance with the determined amount of translation and the determined amount of rotation. Thus, the first and the second swath may be positioned accurately adjacent to reduce visibility of stitching inaccuracies between adjacent swaths.

An image sensor unit includes a light condenser that collects light from a reading target object; an image sensor that receives light and converts the light into an electric signal; an elongated housing that houses the light condenser and the image sensor; and an elongated rigid member attached to a side surface extending in the elongated direction of the housing. The side surface of the housing is provided with an attachment protrusion. The rigid member is provided with an attachment hole that penetrates from a surface facing the side surface of the housing to a non-facing surface on the opposite side, and the non-facing surface of the rigid member is provided with a concave. The attachment protrusion is inserted into the attachment hole, and a part of the attachment protrusion is fit into the concave.

A photoelectric conversion element includes a first pixel array including first light-receiving sections arranged in a direction and a second pixel array including second light-receiving sections arranged in the direction. Each of the first light-receiving sections includes a first pixel configured to receive at least light having a first wavelength inside a visible spectrum and a first pixel circuit configured to transmit a signal from the first pixel to a subsequent stage. Each of the second light-receiving sections includes a second pixel configured to receive at least light having a second wavelength outside the visible spectrum and a second pixel circuit configured to transmit a signal from the second pixel to the subsequent stage. The second pixel circuit is provided in a vicinity of the second pixel.

An optical member includes a lens array including lens bodies, and transmissive members. The transmissive members are made of a material having a uniform refractive index, and are disposed at positions nearer an object-to-be-read than the corresponding lens bodies are disposed or at positions farther from the object-to-be-read than the corresponding lens bodies are disposed. The transmissive members have a columnar shape extending along the optical axes of the lens bodies, and allow light incident through one end faces to exit through the other end faces. At least either ones of the lens bodies or the transmissive members are arranged with distances therebetween larger than errors in the arrangement of the lens bodies and the transmissive members.

An optical member includes a lens array including lens bodies, and transmissive members. The transmissive members are made of a material having a uniform refractive index, and are disposed at positions nearer an object-to-be-read than the corresponding lens bodies are disposed or at positions farther from the object-to-be-read than the corresponding lens bodies are disposed. The transmissive members have a columnar shape extending along the optical axes of the lens bodies, and allow light incident through one end faces to exit through the other end faces. At least either ones of the lens bodies or the transmissive members are arranged with distances therebetween larger than errors in the arrangement of the lens bodies and the transmissive members.