A scanner includes: a pulse generator that generates a pulse signal; a transmissive optical sensor including a photo transmitter that projects pulsed light in response to the pulse signal and a photo receiver facing the photo transmitter; a charge-discharge unit capable of storing an electric charge of the pulse signal and discharging the stored electric charge; and a controller that causes the charge-discharge unit to discharge the electric charge when the photo receiver receives the pulsed light, causes the charge-discharge unit to store the electric charge when the photo receiver does not receive the pulsed light, and that starts supply of power to a CPU when an amount of the electric charge is at or above a threshold.

An image reading device includes a single light source that irradiates an image reading target with light, a traveling change member that changes a traveling direction of the light from the light source and irradiates the image reading target with the light at an incidence angle different from an incidence angle of the light directly applied from the light source to the image reading target, and a switching mechanism that switches traveling of the light from the light source to an optical path for directly irradiating the image reading target or an optical path for irradiating the image reading target via the traveling change member.

An image reading device includes plural light sources that irradiate an image reading target with light at different angles; and a switching mechanism that sequentially switches the light incident to the image reading target from the plural light sources during an image reading operation on the image reading target.

A lighting device includes a rod-shaped light guide, a light guide holder, and an opening optically communicating with the hole. The opening is formed in a first flat surface opposite to a surface into which an end surface of the light guide is inserted. The device also includes a housing, a light source base plate, and a base plate protection layer being formed on a region of the light source base plate other than at least a region on which a light source element is formed. At least one of the light source base plate and the second flat surface of the base plate protection layer is pressed against the housing or the first flat surface at a position at which light emitted by the light source element enters the end surface of the light guide exposed from the opening.

The present invention discloses a double-sided synchronous scanning device. A scanning channel is formed between two scanning components; two backlight plates are respectively used to provide backlight for an opposite-side scanning component and fixed with the same-side scanning component; one side of each backlight plate facing the scanning channel is provided with a light guide groove corresponding to a light inlet of the corresponding scanning component; a backlight source is arranged in the light guide groove. When the two scanning components work synchronously, because the backlight plates always need to provide backlight for the opposite-side scanning component, and the reflected light generated by the backlight plates on a scanned sample enters the light inlet of the same-side scanning component, which will affect the image scanning effect.

An image processing apparatus that can determine a light emission component due to excitation of a fluorescent color material and reflect the light emission component in a reproduced image. To this end, the image processing apparatus includes an image obtaining unit configured to obtain image data obtained by optically reading an original image, a light emission amount obtaining unit configured to obtain a fluorescence light emission amount obtained by optically detecting a fluorescent color material in the original image; an estimating unit configured to estimate a component attributable to light emission by the fluorescent color material in the obtained image data, based on the obtained fluorescence light emission amount, a correcting unit configured to correct the image data by using the estimated component attributable to light emission, and an output unit configured to output the corrected image data.

A reading device includes a first light source, a second light source, a first reading unit, a second reading unit, a comparison unit, and a correction unit. The first source irradiates an object to be read, with first light having a first transmittance to the object. The second source irradiates the object with second light having a second transmittance to the object. The first reading unit reads the first light from the object to output first image data. The second reading unit reads the second light from the object to output second image data. The comparison unit compares a data difference between the first and second image data. In a case where the data difference is equal to or larger than a threshold, the correction unit corrects data of an image area having the data difference equal to or larger than the threshold in the first or second image data.

A reading device includes a first light source, a second light source, a first reading unit, a second reading unit, a comparison unit, and a correction unit. The first source irradiates an object to be read, with first light having a first transmittance to the object. The second source irradiates the object with second light having a second transmittance to the object. The first reading unit reads the first light from the object to output first image data. The second reading unit reads the second light from the object to output second image data. The comparison unit compares a data difference between the first and second image data. In a case where the data difference is equal to or larger than a threshold, the correction unit corrects data of an image area having the data difference equal to or larger than the threshold in the first or second image data.

Provided are systems and methods for identifying, isolating, and/or aligning sheets. An identification system can facilitate accurate identification of a sheet by (i) vacating one or more components of the system that are not the sheet from a zone of detection, and/or (ii) determining a reference axis of the sheet. An isolation system can facilitate accurate isolation of a sheet by (i) providing targeted air flow, and/or (ii) introducing a wave into the sheet. Identification systems and/or isolation systems described herein may facilitate isolation of sheets that were previously fastened together by one or more fasteners. An alignment system can facilitate accurate alignment of a first sheet at an upstream location relative to a second sheet at a downstream location via machine learning.

A lighting device includes a rod-shaped light guide, a light guide holder, and an opening optically communicating with the hole. The opening is formed in a first flat surface opposite to a surface into which an end surface of the light guide is inserted. The device also includes a housing, a light source base plate, and a base plate protection layer being formed on a region of the light source base plate other than at least a region on which a light source element is formed. At least one of the light source base plate and the second flat surface of the base plate protection layer is pressed against the housing or the first flat surface at a position at which light emitted by the light source element enters the end surface of the light guide exposed from the opening.