Patent Application
20050057784
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical scanning module, and more particularly, to an optical scanning module that effectively resolves the bending phenomenon of the reflecting mirrors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, along with the great progress of the computer performance and the highly developed of the multimedia technique. Besides using the digital camera (DC) to directly extract the analog image light and correspondingly producing the digital image signal, any other image input operations related to documents and pictures has to extract the analog image light by using an optical scanner or other image reading device with similar function, and converts the analog image light into a digital image signal, so as to facilitate the user on the operations such as the displaying, optical character recognition (OCR), editing, storing, and printing the digital image files on the computer equipment or other related electronic products. Since the optical scanner is very expensive, it almost only serves for the professional workers such as the art workers before. Recently, thanks to the great progress of the computer techniques and low price due to the intensive competition on the optical scanner market, it has finally become a mainstream in the personal computer world, and has become a major component of the computer peripheral device.
The optical scanner is classified into various types according to its price and functions. Basically, the general scanner is roughly classified into following categories: the hand-held optical scanner, the paper-fed optical scanner, the business-card-size optical scanner, the film optical scanner, and the flat-bed optical scanner. Wherein, the flat-bed optical scanner is like a glass platform, which places the document or picture on a flat glass, and reads the data by moving the optical scanning module. Since its structure is not too complicated and the usage is not too difficult, and plus its high function expandability, it has become the mainstream for the computer users to adapt with the optical scanner now.
In the light of the above problems, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an optical scanning module comprising an elastomeric and soft buffer pad in between the reflecting mirror and the clip for effectively preventing the bending phenomenon of reflecting mirrors and the distortion of image quality due to the clip, and the cost incurring from manufacturing the clip with great precision for improving such defect can be effectively avoided.
In order to achieve the object mentioned above, the present invention provide an optical scanning module. The optical scanning module comprises an outer cover, a plurality fixing elements, a plurality of reflecting mirrors, a plurality of buffer pads, a lens, an image capturing device, and a light source. The outer cover has an opening, and the fixing elements are disposed on the inner wall of the outer cover. The lens and the image capturing device are disposed on the certain locations inside the outer cover, and the light source is disposed on the outer cover. In the present embodiment, the light emitted by the light source is reflected by the document being scanned, and the reflected light is sequentially transmitted to the reflecting mirrors, the lens and the image capturing device via the opening on the outer cover.
With the same reason as mentioned above, the present invention further provides an optical scanning module. The optical scanning module comprises an outer cover, a plurality fixing elements, a plurality of reflecting mirrors, a plurality of buffer pads, a lens, an image capturing device, and a light source. The outer cover has an opening, and the fixing elements are disposed on the inner wall of the outer cover. The reflecting mirrors are collectively held by the clip and the reflecting mirror supporting holder, and the buffer pads are disposed in between the clip and the reflecting mirrors. The lens and the image capturing device are disposed on the appropriate locations inside the outer cover, and the light source is disposed on the outer cover. In the present embodiment, the light emitted by the light source is reflected by the document being scanned, and the reflected light is sequentially transmitted to the reflecting mirrors, the lens, and the image capturing device via the opening on the outer cover.
In the present embodiment, the fixing element is composed of a clip and a reflecting mirror supporting holder. The reflecting mirror supporting holder is integrally formed on the inner wall of the outer cover. The clip is used to clip the reflecting mirror and the buffer pad on the reflecting mirror supporting holder, and the buffer pad is disposed in between the clip and the reflecting mirror.
Further, the buffer pad is made of a material such as silicone, sponge, or other elastomeric material having elastic and or resilient characteristics, the image capturing device is comprised of, for example, a charge couple device (CCD), and the light source is comprised of, for example, a cold cathode florescent lamp (CCFL) or a light emitting diode array.
Following the description above, since the buffer pad disposed in between the clip and the reflecting mirror is characterized by its resilience and elasticity, the stress applied on the reflecting mirror by the clip can be minimal so as to avoid the occurrence bending or curling phenomenon on the reflecting mirror, such that the reflecting mirror can maintain its optimal flatness. Further, the size tolerance of the clip also can be enlarged. Thus the cost incurring from manufacturing the clip with great precision can be effectively avoided.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
In the optical scanning module according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, the major difference compared to the first preferred embodiment is in its fixing elements, and the detail descriptions of other similar elements are omitted herein.
Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment thereof, it will be apparent to one of the ordinary skill in the art that modifications to the described embodiment may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention will be defined by the attached claims not by the above detailed description.
