A light sensing apparatus includes a sheet passage, a first sensing assembly and a first background sheet. The sheet passage has a scan window. The first sensing assembly disposed on a first side of the scan window outputs first scan light to the scan window. The first background sheet disposed on a second side of the scan window has a first reflective surface reflecting the first scan light, passing through the scan window, back to the first sensing assembly through the scan window. The first reflective surface of the first background sheet and the scan window are disposed in a non-parallel manner. Therefore, a light sensing method is also provided to achieve the effects of brightness calibration and boundary detection of the first sensing assembly.

An image reading device, which is included in an image forming apparatus and used to perform a method of reading images, includes an image reading body configured to read one of a recording medium and the recording medium together with a background area adjacent to the recording medium, a moving body disposed facing the image reading body, and a reference body as a reference in shading correction. The moving body is configured to hold the recording medium and the reference body in a direction intersecting a sheet conveying direction of the recording medium such that the recording medium and the reference body contact to and separate from the image reading body.

In one example, a document scanner has a fixed-position scan bar and a built-in translatable calibration target. The scan bar has a linear array of imaging elements aimed in an imaging direction. The calibration target is spaced apart from and parallel to the linear array, and has a planar surface orthogonal to the imaging direction spanning the length of the linear array. The target is translatable during a calibration in a direction in a plane of the surface.

A reading apparatus includes: a reader that reads an image formed on a sheet; an opposed reading member provided opposite to the reader; a first feeding path that feeds a sheet on an upstream of the reader in a sheet feeding direction; a second feeding path that is continuous to the first feeding path and feeds a sheet between the reader and the opposed reading member; a pair of feeding rollers that feeds a sheet on the first feeding path to the second feeding path; a guide member that guides a sheet fed from the first feeding path to the second feeding path; and a roller that is arranged on the second feeding path and is rotatably driven, wherein the first feeding path and the second feeding path form a feeding path bent, a downstream end of the guide member is positioned in a first region.

It includes a transport section configured to transport a document, a reading section configured to read an image of the document transported in a transport direction by the transport section, and a rotation member that is provided with, on a peripheral surface, at least two background sections having colors different in brightness from each other, that is provided at a position facing the reading section, and that, by rotating, changes a position of the background section with respect to a reading position of the reading section, wherein the rotation member is separable from the reading section.

A first reading sensor reads a first surface of a document. A second reading sensor reads a second surface of the document. An elastic body presses the second reading sensor toward the document that is conveyed toward an other side in a first direction. A conveyance guide includes a protrusion accommodating the elastic body. A friction pad contacts, from below, the document supported by a document placement surface. A recess is recessed downward from the document placement surface. A feed roller at a lowermost position enters the recess. An opening is formed in the document placement surface. The opening allows an exposed surface of the protrusion to be exposed to a side to which the document placement surface faces. The friction pad, the recess, and the opening are arranged away from one another in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and an upper-lower direction.

A scanner includes: a first transport roller pair that transports a material; a reader that reads the material; a second transport roller pair that transports the material; a transport motor; and a pressing section. The transport motor 50 rotates both the rollers of the first transport roller pair and both the rollers of the second transport roller pair. The pressing section can vary a first pressing force generated in the first transport roller pair and a second pressing force generated in the second transport roller pair. The pressing section varies the second pressing force in such a way that the second pressing force when the first transport roller pair transports the material but the second transport roller pair does not transport the material becomes lower than the second pressing force when neither the first transport roller pair nor the second transport roller pair transports the material.

An image reading device includes a transporting unit that transports a recording medium along a transport path; an image reader that is disposed on one side of the transport path and that reads an image formed on the recording medium that is transported through the transport path; and a rotary body that is rotatably provided, that is disposed on a side opposite to a side where the image reader is set with the transport path being interposed between the rotary body and the image reader, and that includes an elastic body that protrudes toward the image reader.

A medium conveying apparatus includes a conveying roller to convey a medium, a first unit, a second unit located to face the first unit, an imaging sensor provided in the first unit, to image the medium conveyed by the conveying roller, a reference member including a facing surface, and provided in the second unit in such a way that the facing surface is rotatable between a facing position at which the facing surface faces the imaging sensor, and a non-facing position at which the facing surface deviates from the facing position, a guide portion to slidably guide the second unit in a direction perpendicular to a medium conveying surface so that the second unit moves in the direction perpendicular to the medium conveying surface, and a support portion to rotatably support the reference member. The support portion is located inside the guide portion.

An image reading device, which may be incorporated in an image forming apparatus, includes an image reader, a color reference body, a biasing body, a reading gap forming device, and a driving device. The image reader reads an image of an original document. The color reference body has a white reference face to position facing the image reader within a predetermined range in a document width direction. The biasing body biases the color reference body to the image reader. The reading gap forming device forms a reading gap while receiving a biasing force from the biasing body on the outside of the predetermined range. The driving device has a force drive transmission body engaged with a center of the color reference body in the document width direction and drives the color reference body in the document width direction at the center via the force drive transmission body.