Original document reading apparatus

Claim 2

An original document reading apparatus, comprising: a plurality of line sensors arranged in a uniformly staggered array in a scanning direction, each of said plurality of line sensors including: a plurality of light receiving elements producing an image signal; a plurality of analog image signal storing means for storing said image signal and for delaying output of said image signal according to a delay value; wherein each of said analog image signal storing means has a delay value equal to a delay value of at least one other of said analog image signal storing means; analog to digital converting means for converting said image signal from said analog image signal storing means to a digital signal; and external memory means for storing said digital signal received from said analog to digital converting means according to a variable delay value.

Claim 3

The original document reading apparatus of claim 1, wherein each said analog image signal storing means includes a first plurality of analog image signal storing means and a second plurality of analog image signal storing means, wherein the first plurality of analog image signal storing means are driven by a first pulse-train signal and the second plurality of analog image signal storing means are driven by a second pulse-train signal, and wherein said first and second pulse-train signals are different in timing from each other.

Claim 4

An original document reading apparatus including a plurality of line sensors arranged in a uniformly staggered array in a scanning direction, said apparatus comprising: a plurality of analog image signal storing means, one of said analog image storing means in each line sensor, for storing an image signal and for delaying output of said image signal according to a predetermined delay value responsive to one of only two kinds of pulse-train signals; control means for generating only two kinds of pulse-train signals to control said plurality of analog image signal storing means and for generating a variable delay signal; a plurality of analog-to-digital converters, each for converting the output of one of said plurality of analog image storing means to a digital signal; and external memory means for receiving and storing, according to said variable delay signal, said digital signal received from each analog-to-digital converter.

Claim 5

An original document reading apparatus including a plurality of line sensors arranged in a uniformly staggered array in a scanning direction, said apparatus comprising: a plurality of analog image signal storing means, one of said analog image storing means in each line sensor, for storing an image signal and for delaying output of said image signal according to a predetermined delay value responsive to one of only two kinds of pulse-train signals; control means for generating only two kinds of pulse-train signals to control said plurality of analog image signal storing means and for generating a variable delay signal; a plurality of analog-to-digital converters, each for converting the output of one of said plurality of analog image storing means to a digital signal; and external memory means for receiving and storing, according to said variable delay signal, said digital signal received from each analog-to-digital converter.