摘要 |
An image reading apparatus includes a laser stimulating ray source for emitting a laser beam, a stage on which an image carrier can be placed, a scanning mechanism for scanning the image carrier with the laser beam emitted from the laser stimulating ray source, thereby stimulating the image carrier with the laser beam, a light detector for photoelectrically detecting light emitted from the image carrier, and an optical head for leading the laser beam emitted from the laser stimulating ray source to the image carrier, irradiating the image carrier with the laser beam and leading light emitted from the image carrier to the light detector, the optical head being constituted so as to lead light emitted from a point of the image carrier located upstream of a point of the image carrier onto which the laser beam impinges with respect to a direction of scanning with the laser beam. The thus constituted image reading apparatus can efficiently read a fluorescent image at a high SIN ratio by detecting residual fluorescence released from a fluorescent substance after the completion of irradiation with a stimulating ray.
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