A book scanner includes a scanning table assembly having a full-speed scanning table and a half-speed scanning table moving on a pair of rails in association with each other. A first mirror mounted on the full-speed scanning table reflects light from a document to second and third mirrors to be incident on a CCD unit. The full-speed and half-speed scanning tables are supported at three points of the rails whereas some of the mirrors are supported at four points of a corresponding table. A stable image can be obtained due to substantially no distortion in the mirror surface which results from the stable posture of the tables supported at three points thereof.

A compact flatbed page scanner for facsimile transmission is described. The apparatus uses a linear charge coupled imaging device (CCID) for both light detection and electronic scanning across the width of the page. Compactness is achieved by folding the optical path from the scanned line to the CCID. A moving carriage below a horizontal glass plate supporting the document to be scanned carries: the linear CCID, a lens for focusing an image of one scanning line of the page onto the CCID, an assembly of bar mirrors for folding the path of the light beam from the scanning line to the lens, and tubular lamps for illuminating the scanning line. The motion of the carriage beneath the horizontal glass plate permits scanning an array of parallel lines, equally spaced over the length of the page. In the apparatus described, scanning a complete page may be performed from 4 seconds to several minutes, depending on the bandwidth available for transmission.

An optical system for a scanning apparatus uses a folded optical path with certain mirrors moving, the movement of the mirrors such that the length of the optical path, and thus the magnification, is maintained constant. Either a fixed or movable lens system can be provided. With a fixed lens system there is differential movement of mirrors. With a moving lens system, the lens system and image receiver move in fixed relationship with the scanning mirror.

A scanning apparatus providing separate fixed focal planes for transmissive and reflective original documents to be scanned, wherein a scan carriage containing illumination, sensor, and optical elements is moved together to scan an original document and to obtain a digitized representation thereof. The movable scan carriage has an illumination source disposed between the reflective and transmissive object focal planes, with the object focal plane to be used selected by changing the position of one or more optical elements within the scan carriage. The resolution of the digitized representation of the scanned original document can be determined by rotation of at least one lens about an axis substantially perpendicular to its optic axis.

Two optical modules with reflecting mirrors provide two moving speeds so as to maintain a constant light path between the scanned image and the image sensor. One of the optical modules, the first module, is mounted with two driving wheels. One driving wheel rubs against a stretched belt to move the first module in one direction. The second driving wheel pulls the second optical module toward or away from the first optical module by means of a second belt which is connected to two sides of the second optical module and loops around the second driving wheel. When the two driving wheels rotate in the same direction, the second optical module moves a half as fast as the first optical module. When the two driving wheels rotate in opposite direction, the second optical module moves twice as fast as the first optical module. Thus, two different moving speeds of the modules are achieved.