JP2001144908A - Image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image reader that can read an image in matching with a desired print condition by adopting a proper method to eliminate flaws on an original. SOLUTION: A CCD scanner 14 is provided with a halogen lamp 66 that emits a lighting light to read a frame image of a photo film 22 and with a halogen lamp 70 that emits an infrared ray to detect flaws of the like on a film face via an infrared ray filter, and a half mirror 73 matches the optical axes of the light sources. Furthermore, the image reader is provided with a diffusion board turret 94 that selectively places diffusion boards 96A, 96B, 96C, in the vicinity of the photo film 22 to diffuse the lighting light. Thus, flaws on the film face can be erased with diffusion lights having different diffusivities in the case of reading the image, and the flaws or the like can be detected by the infrared ray.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus which obtains image data by reading transmitted light or reflected light from a frame image recorded on a document.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a frame image recorded on an original such as a photographic film is photoelectrically read by a reading sensor such as a CCD and image processing such as enlargement / reduction and various corrections is performed on the read digital image data. There is known a technique of executing an image and forming an image on a recording material by a laser beam modulated based on the image-processed digital image data.

In the technique of digitally reading a frame image using such a reading sensor such as a CCD or the like, in order to realize accurate image reading, the frame image is preliminarily read (so-called “pre-scan”) to read the frame image. Reading conditions according to the density etc.
, And the frame image is read again based on the determined reading conditions (so-called “fine scan”).

In these image reading methods, there is a method in which illumination light is diffused by a diffusion plate and illuminated on a film surface to uniformly illuminate the entire image surface of a frame image to suppress light amount unevenness.

When a flaw or the like is present on the film surface, the light irradiated on the film surface is scattered by the flaw, and the reading sensor cannot obtain a correct amount of detected light according to image information. As a result, there is a problem that an image missing portion such as black appears on the image.

[0006] The influence on the image caused by such a scratch on the film surface or dust existing on the optical path from the light source to the film (hereinafter, collectively referred to as a "defect portion").
In order to reduce the image quality, the diffuser plate is provided near the film (light source side) to diffuse the illumination light, and by reading the frame image with the diffused light, the optical image can be optically scratched so that the defective portion appearing on the image becomes inconspicuous. There are things that have disappeared.

Another example is a color wavelength (wavelength in a visible light range).
Invisible light that does not respond to the image information, for example, infrared (I
R), the image is read, and only the light scattering part due to the defective part is detected, and the image missing part due to the detected defective part is corrected by digitally (electrically) image processing based on image information around the defective part. Technology has also been proposed.

[0008]

However, the optical flaw erasing by the above-mentioned diffuser plate does not detect a defective portion (image reading) by invisible light as compared with image correction using invisible light. The processing speed is high, but the flaw erasing ability is low.

On the other hand, electric image correction by invisible light
Although accurate correction can be performed as compared with optical flaw erasure, there is a disadvantage that the processing speed is reduced.

When a diffuser (suppression of light quantity unevenness) is arranged on the same optical path of the illumination light source and the invisible light source and both light sources are used together, the diffuser for diffusing the illumination light is invisible. Since light is also diffused, there is a problem that the ability to detect a defective portion is reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned facts, it is a first object of the present invention to perform image reading in accordance with a desired printing condition by selectively using a method for erasing a scratch on a document. It is another object of the present invention to provide an image reading apparatus having a second object of improving the image reading apparatus.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image reading apparatus for reading an image recorded on a document according to a predetermined color wavelength, and for reading image information of the document. A visible light source for irradiating the document surface with light in a visible light region corresponding to the color wavelength, and a non-visible light source for irradiating the document surface with light in an invisible light region for detecting scratches on the document and dust on an optical path. A visible light source, a diffusion member disposed on an optical path between the visible light source and the invisible light source, and a light source for irradiating the document surface with a substantially uniform light amount, and an image read by the invisible light source light. An image processing unit for correcting the image information based on the detected image defect portion detection information.

According to the present invention, there is provided a visible light source for irradiating light in a visible light region for reading image information of a document, and irradiating light in a non-visible light region for detecting scratches on the document and dust on an optical path. A diffusion member is provided on the optical path of both light sources to make the amount of light applied to the document surface substantially uniform. The image processing unit corrects the image information read by the visible light source light based on image defect portion detection information due to a scratch on the document or dust on the optical path obtained by reading the image with the invisible light source light.

[0014] With this, even if the influence of the flaw appears on the image, the processing speed is prioritized, the flaw is eliminated by the diffused light, and if the image quality is prioritized over the processing speed, the flaw is generated by the invisible light. It is possible to selectively use two types of flaw erasing methods, such as correcting a flaw accurately by using detection, and it is possible to read an image in accordance with desired printing conditions.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image reading apparatus according to the first aspect, the image information of the document is preliminarily read using the visible light source light, and the density of the image obtained by the reading is read. And switching between image reading using visible light source light using the diffusing member and correction of the image information using the non-visible light source light.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the image information of the original is preliminarily read by the visible light source light (pre-scan), and the diffusion using the diffusion member is performed based on the density (shade) of the image obtained by the reading. Switching between two types of flaw-erasing methods, i.e., image reading using light (visible light) and image correction using invisible light source light.

In the case of a configuration in which an accurate image reading is performed by the pre-fine scan, the reading conditions of the fine scan are determined according to the density of the image obtained by the pre-scan. In scanning, the reading speed is made slower than when the density is low.

Therefore, for example, in the case of an image having a high density, the use of one of the two types of flaw erasure methods prevents the reading speed from being extremely reduced. Combining two types of flaw-removing methods together to increase flaw-removing accuracy, for example, by appropriately combining flaw-removing methods in accordance with the density, the processing speed and the flaw-removing effect compared to using either one of the flaw-removing methods at all times And efficient image processing can be achieved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image reading apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the diffusing member is arranged near the original on the side to which each of the lights is irradiated. It is characterized by.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by disposing the diffusing member near the document, it is possible to suppress the loss of the light from the light source and to improve the accuracy of erasing the damage by the diffused light.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image reading apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising a plurality of the diffusing members each having a different degree of diffusing light. And a diffusing member switching means for selectively disposing the diffusing member on the optical path.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of diffusing members having different degrees of diffusing light (diffusion degree) are provided, and one of the plurality of diffusing members is selected by the diffusing member switching means and arranged on the optical path. In addition, it becomes possible to change the diffusion degree of the light source light.

Accordingly, when flaws are erased by diffused light obtained by diffusing visible light source light, a diffusion member having a high degree of diffusion and a diffusion member having a low degree of diffusion are determined based on a balance between a processing speed and a flaw-erasing effect. Can be used properly, and more detailed image processing settings can be made. As described above, by expanding the range of selection of the flaw erasing process, it is possible to cope with various printing conditions.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image reading apparatus according to the fourth aspect, image information of the document is preliminarily read by the visible light source light, and based on the density of the image obtained by the reading. And switching the plurality of diffusion members.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the scratch erasing process using the diffused light, a plurality of images arranged on the optical path based on the density of the image obtained by preliminary reading the image information of the original with visible light source light. In which the diffusion member is switched.

Here, as in the case of the second aspect of the present invention,
For example, in the case of an image having a high density, a diffusion member having a low diffusion degree is used to prevent the light amount from being excessively reduced, and in an image having a low density, a diffusion member having a high diffusion degree is used to achieve high accuracy. By appropriately switching the diffusing member based on the image density, such as performing a flaw erasing process, it becomes possible to perform image processing in which the processing speed and the flaw erasing effect are balanced as compared with the case where processing is performed with a fixed degree of diffusion. .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image reading apparatus according to the fourth aspect, when the invisible light source is used, the degree of diffusion for diffusing light is smaller than when the visible light source is used. The diffusing member is disposed on the optical path.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the degree of light diffusion of the invisible light source light is smaller than that of the visible light source light by switching according to the light source using the diffusion member arranged on the optical path. It is.

As described above, by diffusing the invisible light source light weakly, though not as much as the visible light source light, unevenness in light amount (shading) can be suppressed to some extent even in image reading with the invisible light source light. Therefore, for example, when shading correction is performed on an image read by each light, a difference in shading shape between the images is reduced, and color unevenness or the like appearing on the image can be suppressed.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image reading apparatus of the first aspect, the diffusion member is disposed only on the optical path of the visible light source. According to the invention described in the first aspect, the image reading apparatus according to the first aspect includes a diffusion member arranging unit that arranges the diffusion member on the optical path only when the visible light source is used.

According to the seventh and eighth aspects of the present invention, only the visible light source light is diffused by the diffusing member.
Light amount unevenness when reading image information of a document is suppressed. In addition, since the invisible light source light is radiated to the document without being diffused, a scattered light portion due to a scratch or the like can be more accurately detected, and the image correction processing ability is improved.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image reading apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the visible light source light and the non-visible light source illuminated on the document surface. It is characterized by having light blocking means for selectively blocking light.

According to the ninth aspect of the invention, since the visible light source light and the invisible light source light are selectively shielded by the light shielding means, there is no need to control the turning on and off of each light source. It is suitable for an image reading apparatus using a lamp light source such as a lamp.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image reading apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the visible light sources emit light at different wavelengths based on the color wavelength. The image reading apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the plurality of light emitting elements are grouped into a light emitting element group. The invisible light source is a light emitting element group in which a plurality of light emitting elements are assembled.

According to the tenth and eleventh aspects of the present invention, since the visible light or invisible light source is constituted by a light emitting element group, for example, the calorific value is smaller than that of a lamp light source such as a halogen lamp. The luminous efficiency of the light source can be improved.

Further, according to the present invention, a single light source is constructed by combining a visible light emitting element and a non-visible light emitting element, and each light emitting element is controlled to emit light to switch between visible light and non-visible light. It becomes possible. Accordingly, for example, it is not necessary to provide a half mirror or the like for aligning the optical axis of each light source, and the configuration is simplified.

[0037]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a digital lab system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
0 is shown.

As shown in FIG. 1, the digital lab system 10 includes a CCD scanner 14, an image processing unit 16, a laser printer unit 18, and a processor unit 20. Here, the CCD scanner 14 and the image processing unit 16 are integrated as an input unit 26 shown in FIG. 2, and the laser printer unit 18 and the processor unit 20 are integrated as an output unit 28 shown in FIG. ing.

This CCD scanner 14 is for reading a frame image recorded on a photographic film such as a negative film or a reversal film.
Size photographic film, size 110 photographic film,
Further, a photographic film (24) having a transparent magnetic layer formed thereon
0 size photographic film: so-called “APS film”), and frame images of 120 size and 220 size (Brownie size) photographic films can be read. The CCD scanner 14 reads the above-mentioned frame image to be read by the CCD sensor 30 and outputs the read image to the A / D converter 32.
After the A / D conversion in the image processing unit 1
Output to 6.

The image processing section 16 receives image data (scanned image data) output from the CCD scanner 14, receives image data obtained by photographing with a digital camera 34 or the like, and originals (for example, reflective originals). Data obtained by reading the image data with a scanner 36 (floodbed type), image data generated by another computer and stored in a floppy disk drive 38, an MO drive or a CD drive 40, and received via a modem 42 It is also configured to be able to input communication image data and the like from the outside.

The image processing section 16 stores the input image data in the image memory 44, and stores a color gradation processing section 46, a hypertone processing section 48, and a hyper sharpness processing section 50.
Depending on various corrections and settings, image processing such as film damage correction using image data read by infrared rays, which will be described later, is performed and output to the laser printer unit 18 as recording image data. Further, the image processing unit 16
It is also possible to output image data subjected to image processing to an external device as an image file (for example, output to a recording medium such as FD, MO, CD, or transmit to another information processing device via a communication line). Have been.

The laser printer section 18 includes R, G, and B laser light sources 52, and controls a laser driver 54 to record image data (temporarily stored in an image memory 56) input from the image processing section 16. Is applied to the photographic printing paper, and scanning exposure (in the present embodiment, mainly the polygon mirror 58 and the fθ lens 60) is performed.
An image is recorded on the photographic paper 62 by an optical system using the same. Further, the processor unit 20 includes a laser printer unit 18.
The photographic paper 62 on which an image has been recorded by scanning exposure is subjected to color development, bleach-fix, washing, and drying. Thus, an image is formed on the printing paper 62.

(Configuration of CCD Scanner) Next, the configuration of the CCD scanner 14 will be described. In the present embodiment, a digital lab system 10 in which a 135-size photographic film 22 is used will be described.

FIGS. 3 to 5 show a schematic configuration of the optical system of the CCD scanner 14. FIG. This optical system includes a halogen lamp 66 (visible light source) that emits white light as a light source that irradiates the photographic film 22 with light.

The halogen lamp 66 is disposed below the conveying path of the photographic film 22 in the drawing with the light irradiation direction facing the irradiation surface of the photographic film 22. Is disposed on the optical path.

The filter holder 80 has a rotating shaft 81 rotatably supported thereon. Red (R), green (G), and blue (B) are arranged on the same circumference around the axis of the rotating shaft 81. Filters 82R, 82G, and 82B for each color are further provided, and a shutter 86 is provided to allow the light to irradiate the photographic film 22 to be shielded without turning off the light-passing portion 84 and the halogen lamp 66. I have.

A gear 87 provided at the tip end of the rotating shaft 81 is connected to a filter holder driving motor 92 via a timing belt 88 and a pinion gear 90.
The filter holder drive motor 92 is connected to a control circuit (not shown) so that the rotation angle can be controlled.

As a result, the position of the filter holder 80 is changed by the rotation of the filter holder driving motor 92, and the filters 82R, 82G, 82B or the shutter 86 are arranged on the optical path of the halogen lamp 66. The illumination light (white light) can be switched to red, green, and blue colors and can be shielded.

Further, a half mirror 73 is provided above the filter holder 80 on the optical path from the halogen lamp 66 to the photographic film 22 along the optical axis of the halogen lamp 66. This half mirror 73
It has a function of transmitting or reflecting the light depending on the polarization plane. Here, the irradiation light of the halogen lamp 66 is transmitted through the mirror surface of the half mirror 73 and guided toward the photographic film 22. .

A halogen lamp 70 (invisible light source) is disposed at the upper left side of the halogen lamp 66 in the figure, and the light emitted from the halogen lamp 70 is applied to the mirror surface of a half mirror 73 located in the irradiation direction. And is guided to the photographic film 22 in accordance with the optical axis of the halogen lamp 66.

A filter holder 120 is arranged near the halogen lamp 70 as shown in FIG.
1 is rotatably supported. 4 is a diagram showing the vicinity of the halogen lamp 70 in FIG. 3, and the illustration of the filter holder 120 and the like is omitted in FIG.

The filter holder 120 is mounted on the rotating shaft 12
Irradiation light to the photographic film 22 can be blocked on the same circumference centered on one axis without turning off the infrared (IR) filter 122IR, the transparent portion 124, and the halogen lamp 70. Shutter 126 is provided.

The gear 127 provided on the tip end side of the rotating shaft 121 includes a timing belt 128 and a pinion gear 1.
The filter holder drive motor 132 is connected to the filter holder drive motor 132 via the control unit 30. The filter holder drive motor 132 is connected to a control circuit (not shown) so that the rotation angle can be controlled.

As a result, the position of the filter holder 120 is changed by the rotation of the filter holder drive motor 132, and the filter 122IR or the shutter 126 is arranged on the optical path of the halogen lamp 70, and the illumination light (white light) Light) to infrared or to block out light.

Above the half mirror 73, a mirror box 75 for suppressing the divergence of the illuminating light is arranged, and the light from the halogen lamp 66 or the halogen lamp 70 is
The photographic film 22 passes through the mirror box 75.
You will be guided in the direction.

Further, above the mirror box 75 and near the photographic film 22, a diffuser turret 94 for inserting a diffuser described later on the optical path is arranged.

The diffusing plate turret 94 has a rotating shaft 95 rotatably supported thereon, and diffusing plates 96A, 96B, 96D, 96D, 96D having different diffusivities on the same circumference around the axis of the rotating shaft 95.
96C and a through portion 97 are provided, and a gear 99 provided on the distal end side of the rotating shaft 95 controls the rotation angle via a timing belt 98 and a pinion gear 100, similarly to the filter holders 80 and 120. It is connected to a diffusion plate turret drive motor 102 which is enabled.

In this case, the diffusion degree is determined by the diffusion plates 96A and 96A.
6B and 96C in this order.

Thus, the rotation position of the diffusion plate turret 94 is changed by the diffusion plate turret drive motor 102, and the diffusion plates 96A, 96B, 96C, and the transparent portion 97 are arranged on the optical path of the halogen lamp 66. The diffusion degree of the illumination light can be switched, and the light emitted from the mirror box 75 is applied to the photographic film 22 with the diffusion degree changed according to the diffusion degree of each diffusion plate.

In the case of infrared rays emitted from the halogen lamp 70, the transparent plate 97
Is selected, and the infrared rays reach the photographic film 22 without being diffused by the diffusion plate.

On the other hand, the light transmitted through the frame image is formed along the optical axis of the halogen lamp 66 and the halogen lamp 70 on the opposite side of the light source section with the photographic film 22 positioned and transported by the negative carrier 74 therebetween. Spherical (or aspheric) lens unit 77 to be imaged, CCD sensor 3
0 are arranged in order.

The lens unit 77 is a zoom lens composed of a plurality of lenses, and has a role of forming an image of light transmitted through the photographic film 22 at a predetermined position. A CCD sensor 30 is provided.

The CCD sensor 30 is an area type sensor in which a plurality of pixels for detecting light are arranged in a matrix (two-dimensional) along the width of the photographic film 22 and the conveying direction. It has a function of accumulating electric charges in accordance with the received light.

Thus, the transmitted light of each color of R, G, and B or the infrared light that has passed through the frame image of the photographic film 22 is formed by the lens unit 77 in almost the entire pixel range of the CCD sensor 30 for each frame image. Read electrically.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below.

The operator inserts the photographic film 22 into the negative carrier 74 (film carrier), and
When the selection of the film flaw erasing method and the start of the frame image reading are instructed by the keyboard 16K of No. 6, the negative carrier 74 starts the conveyance of the photographic film 22. By this transport, a pre-scan is performed. That is, while conveying the photographic film 22 at a relatively high speed, the CCD scanner 14 reads not only image frames but also various data outside the image recording area of the photographic film 22. The read image is displayed on the monitor 16M.

Next, based on the result of the pre-scan of each frame image, the reading conditions at the time of the fine scan are set for each frame image. Then, when the reading condition setting at the time of the fine scan for all the frame images is completed, the photographic film 22 is transported in the direction opposite to the pre-scan, and the fine scan of each frame image is executed.

At this time, since the photographic film 22 is being conveyed in the direction opposite to the pre-scanning direction, the fine scan is performed sequentially from the last frame to the first frame.
In the fine scan, the transport speed is set to be lower than that in the pre-scan, and the reading resolution is accordingly increased.

Further, at the time of pre-scanning, since the state of the image (for example, the photographed image aspect ratio, the photographing state such as under, normal, over, and super over, and the use of strobe photographing, etc.) is recognized, appropriate reading conditions Can be read by

Further, at the time of this fine scan, a flaw erasing operation is performed according to a flaw erasing method of the film selected in advance.

That is, when the flaw erasing method using infrared rays is selected, the irradiation light of each color of R, G, and B passes through the half mirror 73, passes through the mirror box 75, and the divergence of the light amount is suppressed. After irradiating the film 22 and passing through the film, the lens unit 77
An image is formed on the sensor 30 and read for each frame image. After that, the halogen lamp 70 emits light, and infrared rays are irradiated, so that scratches on the film surface and dust on the optical path are read by the CCD sensor 30, and the images read by the R, G, and B color lights are read. The image processing section 16 performs image correction.

When the method of eliminating flaws by diffused light is selected, no flaw detection is performed by infrared rays, and R, G,
Fine scan is performed only with each color light of B, and the irradiating light is diffused by a diffusing plate to form a CCD sensor 30.
And the scratches on the film surface are made inconspicuous.

As described above, when it is desired to prioritize the image quality over the processing speed, it is desirable to perform the flaw detection with infrared rays to accurately correct the flaw, and to prioritize the processing speed even if the influence of the flaw appears on the image. In this case, it is possible to perform processing in accordance with printing conditions, such as erasing scratches using diffused light using a diffusion plate.

Further, in the present embodiment, a plurality of diffusion plates are provided (diffusion plates 96A, 96B, 96C), and which one to use is determined in the same manner as in the case of selecting the wound erasing method.
It can be made selectable by the keyboard 16K.

In this case, after selecting the flaw elimination by the diffused light and selecting the diffuser 96C having a higher degree of diffusion,
Although not as good as image correction using infrared light, the processing speed can be increased while enhancing the effect of flaw erasure, and if the diffusion plate 96A having a low degree of diffusion is selected, processing with the highest priority can be performed.

As described above, in the present embodiment,
Since the method is capable of selecting a method for erasing a scratch on a film surface by diffused light or infrared light, image processing can be performed in accordance with desired printing conditions. Furthermore, by selecting a diffuser plate with different diffusivities that suits the printing conditions, more detailed processing settings can be set based on the balance between the processing speed and the flaw erasing effect, and it is possible to respond to various printing conditions. it can.

Further, the optical axes of the halogen lamp 66 and the halogen lamp 70 are aligned by the half mirror 73, and each light is emitted to the photographic film 22 from the same optical path, so that the image read by each light is read. Is reduced, and the image correction of the defective portion is performed more accurately. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide an optical path for each light source individually, the entire light source unit can be downsized.

Although the present embodiment has been described as a configuration in which the flaw erasing method is manually selected, for example, a configuration in which the flaw erasing method is automatically selected based on the density of an image obtained by pre-scanning may be employed.

In this case, when the image information obtained by the prescan is processed by the image processing section 16, the density of the image is determined based on the preset density information (threshold). It is possible to detect a flaw by infrared rays and correct the flaw, and to erase a flaw with diffused light in a frame image having a high density.

As compared with a case where an image is always read using either one of the flaw-removing methods, the processing is performed while maintaining a balance between the processing speed and the flaw-removing effect, so that efficient image processing becomes possible. .

Similarly, the selection of the diffusion plate can be automatically selected according to the image density at the time of the pre-scan as described above. For example, usually, the diffusion plate 96B having an intermediate diffusion level is usually used. Are arranged on the optical path, and when the image density is low, the diffusion plate 96C having a high diffusion degree is selected, and when the image density is high, the diffusion plate 96A having a low diffusion degree is selected. As a result, the switching of the diffusion plate and the use of infrared rays can be appropriately combined according to the density, and more efficient image processing can be performed.

Further, the diffusion plates 96A, 96B, 96C
For the selection method of (1), a diffusion plate 96C having a high degree of diffusion may be disposed when reading an image with illumination light, and a diffusion plate 96A having a low degree of diffusion may be disposed for infrared rays. As a result, the infrared rays are weakly diffused, although not as much as the illumination light, and the unevenness in the amount of light is reduced.For example, when shading correction is performed on an image read with each light, the shading shape difference of each image is reduced, and Color unevenness and the like appearing in the image can be suppressed.

The mechanism for exchanging a plurality of diffusion plates is not limited to the turret type (rotation type) as in the present embodiment. Various configurations can be applied, such as moving in parallel with and disposing it on the optical axis.

Further, the method of changing the degree of diffusion of the illumination light can be applied to a method other than the configuration in which a plurality of diffusion plates are switched as in the present embodiment. For example, the degree of diffusion can be changed using a mirror box.

FIG. 6 shows an example of such a case. Instead of the mirror box 75 shown in FIG. 5, a mirror box 76 in which two mirror box portions whose outer sizes are slightly different from each other are vertically arranged is arranged. I have.

In the mirror box 76, each box portion is supported so as to be slidable in the optical axis direction (the direction of arrow A in the figure), so that the area of the mirror surface (light reflecting surface) in the box can be changed. I have. As a result, the state of reflection of the illumination light incident on the mirror box 76 is changed according to the size of the mirror surface, and the degree of diffusion is changed at the time of emission.

In addition to the mechanical parts such as the diffusion plate described above, the degree of diffusion can be changed using a liquid crystal device.

FIG. 7 shows an example of this. A polymer dispersed liquid crystal device 78 for changing the degree of diffusion is arranged in place of the diffusion plate turret 94 in FIG.

The polymer-dispersed liquid crystal has a structure in which liquid crystal is dispersed in a resin medium in the form of small droplets. If the average refractive index of the liquid crystal droplet and the refractive index of the resin medium are different, the liquid crystal droplet is Light scattering occurs in the visible light range, voltage is applied to align the liquid crystal in the direction of the electric field, and the refractive index of the liquid crystal droplet is changed to a refractive index in a direction parallel to the liquid crystal molecules to be close to the refractive index of the resin medium. When a value is taken, a transparent state is obtained.

Here, the polymer dispersed liquid crystal device 78
Is connected to a liquid crystal device control unit 79 that controls an applied voltage. When the voltage is changed by the liquid crystal device control unit 79, the illumination light incident on the liquid crystal device changes in the refractive index of the liquid crystal droplet. Accordingly, the light becomes transmitted light or diffused light.

As described above, by applying the liquid crystal device to the configuration for changing the degree of diffusion, a simple structure that does not require a mechanical driving mechanism or the like can be obtained.

Further, in this embodiment, the illumination system for reading an image, that is, the halogen lamp 66 for the illumination light and the halogen lamp 70 for the infrared light are each configured as a dedicated light source. However, by adding an infrared filter (filter 122IR) to the filter holder 80 in which the RGB color filters are arranged,
The light can be extracted from the light of the halogen lamp 66, and a dedicated light source is not necessarily required. In such a case, the half mirror 73 is not required in addition to the halogen lamp 70, so that the illumination system can have a simpler configuration.

Further, an area type CCD as in this embodiment is used.
The present invention is not limited to the CCD scanner using the sensor 30, but can be applied to a line CCD scanner that reads an image while transporting a film using a line-type CCD sensor.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this second embodiment,
Since the configuration is almost the same as that described in the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of the configuration will be omitted.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show the CCD scanner 114.
1 shows a schematic configuration of the optical system. This optical system is composed of an LED chip group 64A in which a plurality of LED chips 64R, 64G, and 64B that emit light in respective colors of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) are collected. A light source (not shown) for irradiating light is provided.

The LED chip group 64A includes an aluminum substrate 65
LED chips 64R, 64R are arranged on the photographic film 22 along the transport direction (longitudinal direction) and the width direction.
G, 64B is flat (R, G, B in LED chip unit)
(Order) in high density. This LED
The chips are controlled to emit light while being switched in each color unit, so that the LED chip group 64A emits R, G, and B light with very little unevenness in the amount of light between the colors. become.

The LED chips 64R, 64G,
In addition to the above, the arrangement method of 64B is such that, for each color, R, G, and B are repeatedly arranged in order in a line unit formed linearly along the transport direction of the photographic film 22 or the width direction. Other forms can be applied.

The LED chip group 64A is disposed below the photographic film 22 transport path in the drawing so that the irradiation direction faces the irradiation surface of the photographic film 22, and the LED chip group 64A is located near the light emitting surface. A diffusing plate 72 for diffusing the irradiation light from the light source is disposed. Further, a half mirror 73 is provided above the diffusion plate 72 in the optical path from the LED chip group 64A to the photographic film 22 along the optical axis of the LED chip group 64A. Are guided through the mirror surface of the half mirror 73 toward the photographic film 22.

A halogen lamp 70 is arranged on the upper left side of the LED chip group 64A in the figure. Similarly to the first embodiment, the irradiation light of the halogen lamp 70 is converted into infrared light by the filter 122IR of the filter holder 120 (see FIG. 9), and is reflected by the mirror surface of the half mirror 73 located in the irradiation direction, and the LED chip group The optical axis coincides with the optical axis of 64A and is guided toward the photographic film 22.

A mirror box 75 for suppressing divergence of light emitted from the half mirror 73 is disposed above the half mirror 73. Light from the LED chip group 64A or the halogen lamp 70 is supplied to the mirror box 75.
The photographic film 22 is irradiated through the inside.

As a result, the LED chip group 64A becomes RG
When the light of each color B is emitted, the light of each color is diffused by the diffusion plate 72, passes through the half mirror 73, and is further irradiated on the photographic film 22 via the mirror box 75.

The irradiation light from the halogen lamp 70, which is transmitted through the filter 122IR and converted into infrared light, is reflected by the half mirror 73, follows the same optical path as the illumination light, passes through the mirror box 75, and passes through the mirror box 75. It reaches 22.

As described above, in the CCD scanner 114 of the second embodiment, since the diffusion plate 72 for diffusing the illumination light in the visible light region is provided only on the optical path of the LED chip group 64A, only the illumination light is diffused. It becomes light. For this reason, when reading an image using illumination light, unevenness in the amount of light on the film surface is suppressed, and infrared rays are emitted without being diffused.
Light scattering parts due to scratches and the like can be detected accurately, and the ability to detect defective parts is improved.

The LED chip group 64A includes R, G,
A plurality of LED chips 64R, 64 emitting light of each color of B
G and 64B are collectively arranged and arranged close to the diffusion plate 72, so that the amount of light incident on the diffusion plate 72 out of the illuminating light emitted and radiated from the LED chip group 64A increases, Also in the present embodiment using an LED chip that emits less light than a halogen lamp or the like, light from the light source can be used effectively.

[Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. This third embodiment is also the first
Since the configuration is almost the same as that described in the embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of the configuration will be omitted.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show a schematic configuration of an optical system of the CCD scanner 115 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

In this optical system, the light source of the illumination light for reading the image on the photographic film 22 is the same halogen lamp 66 as in the first embodiment, and the irradiation direction is the photographic film 22.
The photographic film 22 is disposed below the conveyance path in the drawing so as to face the irradiation surface of the photographic film 22.

The same filter holder 80 as in the first embodiment is arranged near the lamp, and the halogen lamp 66
Illumination light (white light) can be switched to each of red, green, and blue.

Further, the diffusing plate 104 for increasing the degree of diffusion of the illumination light is different from the halogen lamp 6 as in the second embodiment.
6, not on the light path of the halogen lamp 66,
It is provided between the half mirror 73 and the mirror box 75.

Further, one end of the diffusion plate 104 is fixed to the plunger 106 so that the diffusion plate 104 can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the photographic film 22 (the direction of arrow A in the figure). When it is irradiated, it is located on the optical path (the position drawn by the solid line in the figure) to diffuse the illumination light, and when it is irradiated with infrared light, it is retracted from the optical path (drawn by the two-dot chain line in the figure). Position) so that light is not diffused.

For this reason, the filters 82R, 82G, 82
The illumination light from the halogen lamp 66 switched to each color of RGB by B is transmitted through the half mirror 73, is diffused by the diffusion plate 104, passes through the mirror box 75, is irradiated on the photographic film 22, and is irradiated with the halogen lamp 70.
Is reflected by the half mirror 73, and then irradiates the photographic film 22 through the mirror box 75 without being diffused. Each light transmitted through these frame images is converted by the lens unit 77 into CC light.
An image is formed on the D sensor 30 and is electrically read.

As described above, the diffusion plate 104 is arranged on the common optical path of the halogen lamp 66 and the halogen lamp 70,
Also in the present embodiment in which the diffusion plate 104 is configured to be movable on the optical path and out of the optical path in accordance with the light source to be used, the degree of diffusion of the illumination light and the infrared light can be easily changed, and the defective portion of the photographic film 22 The detection ability and the correction processing ability can be improved.

In this embodiment in which a halogen lamp is used as a light source, a sufficient amount of light is obtained as compared with an LED chip. Therefore, unlike the second embodiment, it is not necessary to dispose a diffusion plate near the halogen lamp. Therefore, the degree of freedom in design can be increased in the arrangement of the members constituting the optical system.

However, also in this embodiment, as described in the second embodiment, the LED chip group 6 in which the LED chips emitting the respective colors of RGB are collectively arranged as the light source of the illumination light.
4A can be applied. In this case,
In addition to replacing the halogen lamp 66 with the LED chip group 64A, the LED chip group 64A is combined with an LED chip that emits light at an infrared wavelength.
A single light source that can emit R, G, B, and IR light can be configured. Therefore, similarly to the case of the above-described illumination system in which light is switched by the filter corresponding to each color wavelength, the optical axis of each light source can be adjusted without providing the half mirror 73.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to a transparent original such as a photographic film, the present invention can be applied to image reading of a reflective original.

Further, the invisible light for reading a flaw or the like of a document is not limited to infrared rays, but can be applied to an optical system using ultraviolet rays.

[0118]

Since the image reading apparatus of the present invention has the above-described configuration, it is possible to read an image in accordance with a desired printing condition by selectively using a method for erasing a scratch on a document, and to improve the ability to detect a defective portion by invisible light. Let it.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a digital lab system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view of a digital laboratory system.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of an optical system of the CCD scanner according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration near the infrared halogen lamp of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side view showing an arrangement state of a reading optical system including a halogen lamp, a filter holder, a half mirror, a diffusion plate, a CCD sensor and the like according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an arrangement state of the reading optical system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, which is an example in which a mirror box is applied to a unit for changing a diffusion degree of illumination light.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing an arrangement state of the reading optical system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, which is an example in which a polymer dispersed liquid crystal device is applied to a unit for changing a diffusion degree of illumination light. .

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of an optical system of a CCD scanner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing an arrangement state of a reading optical system including an LED chip group, a diffusion plate, a half mirror, a halogen lamp 70, a filter holder, a mirror box, a CCD sensor and the like according to a second embodiment of the present invention. is there.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of an optical system of a CCD scanner according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing an arrangement state of a reading optical system including a halogen lamp, a filter holder, a half mirror, a diffusion plate, a mirror box, and a CCD sensor according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 10 digital laboratory system 14 CCD scanner (image reading device) 16 image processing unit 22 photographic film (document) 64R, 64G, 64B64 LED chip (light emitting element) 64A LED chip group (visible light source / light emitting element group) 66 halogen lamp ( Visible light source) 70 Halogen lamp (invisible light source) 72 Diffusion plate (diffusion member) 86 Shutter (light blocking means) 94 Diffusion plate turret (diffusion member switching means) 96A, 96B, 96C Diffusion plate (diffusion member) 104 Diffusion plate (Diffusion member) 106 Plunger (Diffusion member arrangement means) 114 CCD scanner (Image reading device) 115 CCD scanner (Image reading device) 126 Shutter (Light blocking means)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme court ゛ (Reference) G06T 1/00 420 G06T 1/00 420C 5C062 420F 5C072 460 460E H04N 1/00 H04N 1/00 G F term ( (Reference) 2H042 BA11 BA13 BA16 2H108 AA05 CA07 CB01 DA01 DA06 GA02 GA09 JA06 2H109 AA02 AA15 AA22 AA72 2H110 AA19 AC03 AC14 AC16 BA16 CB22 CB33 CB73 CC07 CD05 CE07 5B047 AA05 AB04 BA01 BB02 BC05 BC07 AB09 AD01 5C072 AA01 BA15 CA03 DA05 DA09 DA15 DA16 DA21 EA05 NA02 RA01 VA03 WA04 XA01

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An image reading apparatus for reading an image recorded on a document for each predetermined color wavelength, wherein light in a visible light region corresponding to the color wavelength for reading image information of the document is placed on a document surface. A non-visible light source for irradiating the surface of the document with light in a non-visible light region for detecting a scratch on the document and dust on an optical path; a visible light source and the non-visible light source A diffusing member arranged on the optical path for making the amount of light applied to the document surface substantially uniform, and correcting the image information based on image defect portion detection information obtained by reading an image with the invisible light source light An image reading device, comprising: 2. Preliminarily reading image information of the original using the visible light source light, and performing image reading using the diffusing member with the visible light source light based on the density of the image obtained by the reading. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein switching is performed between correction of the image information by the invisible light source light. 3. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the diffusion member is disposed near the document on a side on which the light is irradiated. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of diffusing members having different degrees of diffusing light, and a diffusing member switching unit for selectively disposing the plurality of diffusing members on the optical path. The image reading device according to claim 3. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the image information of the document is preliminary read by the visible light source light, and the plurality of diffusion members are switched based on the density of the image obtained by the reading. The image reading device according to claim 1. 6. The diffusing member having a lower degree of diffusion for diffusing light when using the invisible light source than when using the visible light source is arranged on the optical path. 5. The image reading device according to 4. 7. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the diffusion member is disposed only on the optical path of the visible light source. 8. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a diffusion member arranging means for arranging the diffusion member on the optical path only when the visible light source is used. 9. The light source according to claim 1, further comprising a light blocking unit that selectively blocks the visible light source light and the invisible light source light emitted to the document surface. An image reading device according to the item. 10. The light source according to claim 1, wherein the visible light source is a light emitting element group in which a plurality of light emitting elements that emit light at different wavelengths based on the color wavelength are collected. The image reading device according to claim 1. 11. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the invisible light source is a light emitting element group in which a plurality of light emitting elements are assembled. .