| US 7,591,576 B2 | ||
| Illuminator and image reader employing it | ||
| Tatsuki Okamoto, Tokyo (Japan); and Akira Ota, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Appl. No. 11/718,650 PCT Filed Nov. 02, 2005, PCT No. PCT/JP2005/020205 § 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date May 04, 2007, PCT Pub. No. WO2006/049206, PCT Pub. Date May 11, 2006. |
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| Claims priority of application No. 2004-322212 (JP), filed on Nov. 05, 2004. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2008/0151553 A1, Jun. 26, 2008 | ||
| Int. Cl. F21V 5/00 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 362—582 [362/217.02; 362/328; 355/1; 358/475; 358/484] | 8 Claims |
| 1. An illuminator comprising:
a light guide having a circular cross-section;
a scatterer that is provided on a portion of a circumference of the circular cross-section and that radiates scattering light
toward the inside of the light guide; and
a condensing lens that condenses light emitted from the light guide and transforms the light into a linear beam, wherein a
plurality of cylindrical light guides each separately illuminated by its own light source, and a plurality of cylindrical
lenses are axially connected, respectively.
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