JP2003312054A - Imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an imaging device in which the image of electronic data can be microfilmed faithfully. <P>SOLUTION: The imaging device comprises a means 1 for forming a line image by modulating light emitted from a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in the one-dimensional direction, a means 4 for focusing the line image formed by the line image forming means 1 on the surface of a photosensitive means while reducing, and a deflecting means 3 for directing the light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements toward the entrance pupil of the focusing means or the vicinity thereof. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image pickup device, and more particularly to an image pickup device capable of faithfully converting an image of electronic data into a microfilm by using an LED array or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, documents have been formed into microfilm and stored in order to significantly reduce the amount of documents stored, but in recent years with the spread of personal computers (hereinafter referred to as "personal computers"), documents have become popular. It has become more and more common to convert the data into electronic data by a filing system using an image scanner or the like and record it on an electronic recording medium such as a hard disk or a magneto-optical disk.

When a document is directly created by using a personal computer, it is natural to record the document as it is on an electronic recording medium. However, in response to demands for high-speed recording, high-definition recording, etc., new electronic recording media and their driving devices are being developed one after another, and therefore, when a document on a recording medium that has passed a certain time has been reproduced, it is old. It is inconvenient, such as having to find a drive.

Further, electronic data may be erased by a mistaken operation of a personal computer, and there is concern about data storage. Therefore, it is necessary to convert important documents, even electronic data, into paper data and store them as before.

On the other hand, since the microfilm has excellent storability and can be easily reproduced, the microfilm has recently been reviewed as a backup of electronic data.

[0006]

The conventional method of converting electronic data into a microfilm is a method of directly writing on a microfilm with a light beam from a laser diode as proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-314770. It is recorded in. However, there is a problem that the image of electronic data is deteriorated because the light beam is directly written on the microfilm.

An example in which an image of electronic data formed by an LED array is recorded on a film by a lens array is disclosed in JP-A-8-29860. However, in this publication, since the film is directly exposed to the light beam, there is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the image without unevenness in the amount of light for recording.

An example in which an image of electronic data formed by an LED array is exposed on a photosensitive member by a lens array is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-304210. However, even if the photoconductor is replaced with a microfilm, since the photoconductor is directly exposed to the light beam, there is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the image without unevenness of light amount and record the same as above.

An object of the present invention is to provide an image pickup device capable of faithfully forming an electronic data image into a microfilm.

[0010]

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image pickup device in which a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a one-dimensional direction and light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements is modulated to form a line image. Line image forming means, image forming means for reducing and forming a line image formed by the line image forming means on the surface of the photosensitive means, and light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements at the entrance pupil position of the image forming means or its position. And a deflection means for directing it to the vicinity.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the deflecting means includes a mirror array in which a plurality of mirrors are arranged in a one-dimensional direction and the angle of the reflecting surface is adjustable, and the line image forming means is provided. The line image is characterized by being formed by a lens array in which a plurality of lenses are arranged in a one-dimensional direction on the reflecting surfaces of a plurality of mirrors of the mirror array or in the vicinity thereof.

The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the deflecting means comprises a Fresnel lens.

The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, 2 or 3, the plurality of light emitting elements of the line image forming means are liquid crystal elements with illumination light, EL elements or LEDs.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the image forming means has a zoom lens, and the reflecting surface of the mirror of the mirror array is set to a variable mirror angle depending on the zoom position of the zoom lens. It is characterized by having means.

The invention of claim 6 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 3, the Fresnel lens is arranged in the vicinity of the line image forming means.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the essential portions of a first embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an LED array as a line image forming means, in which a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a one-dimensional direction, and light (light beam) based on an image of electronic data emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements. ) Is modulated to form a line image. The plurality of light emitting elements in this embodiment are each L
It consists of an ED (light emitting diode).

Reference numeral 2 denotes a lens array in which a plurality of lenses (small lenses) are arranged in a one-dimensional direction, and a line image formed by the LED array 1 is provided on or near the reflecting surfaces of a plurality of mirrors of a mirror array 3 described later. Is forming.

Deflection means 3 directs the light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements to the entrance pupil position of the image forming means 4 described later or its vicinity. The deflecting means 3 in the present embodiment comprises a mirror array in which a plurality of mirrors (small mirrors) are arranged in a one-dimensional direction and the angle of the reflecting surface is adjustable, and the line image by the LED array 1 is formed by the lens array 2 by the lens array 2. It is formed on or near the reflecting surfaces of the plurality of mirrors. 3a is a line image formed on the mirror array 3 by the lens array 2.

Reference numeral 4 denotes an image forming lens as an image forming means,
A line image formed by the LED array 1 is reduced and formed on the surface of a photosensitive unit 5 described later.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a photosensitive means, which is made of, for example, a microfilm. Reference numeral 5a is a line image formed on the microfilm 5 by the imaging lens 4, and a line image conjugate with the line image 3a formed on the mirror array 3.

In this embodiment, light (light beam) intensity-modulated by the signal modulation circuit 11 from the LED array 1
Forms a line image 3a on or near the reflecting surface of the mirror array 3 by the lens array 2. This line image 3a
Is a reproduced image of electronic data and is an image that can be normally read with the naked eye. Then, the line image 3a formed on the mirror array 3 is reduced by the imaging lens 4 and formed as a line image 5a on the microfilm 5. By scanning the microfilm 5 in the direction of arrow C, the two-dimensional image is reduced and recorded on the microfilm.

In the present embodiment, since the image of the electronic data can be reduced by the imaging lens 4, a high resolution reduced image is recorded on the microfilm 5.

Here, the LED that reaches the mirror array 3
Since the incident angle of the light from the array 1 differs depending on the image forming position, it is necessary to set the reflection angle of the reflecting surface of each mirror so that the reflection direction of the light enters the incident pupil position of the image forming lens 4 or the vicinity thereof. is there.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the pupil position is read from the pupil position information written in the imaging lens 4 by the pupil position detection circuit 6, and the mirror angle setting circuit (mirror angle setting means) 7 is used. The angle of the reflecting surface of each mirror of the mirror array 3 corresponding to the pupil position is set. As a result, all of the light emitted from the mirror array 3 is efficiently incident on the entrance pupil position of the imaging lens 4 or in the vicinity thereof to form a line image 5a of a one-dimensional image on the microfilm 5 without unevenness in the light amount. ing.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the optical arrangement when FIG. 1 is viewed in plan. In the figure, the same elements as those shown in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals.

In the figure, an LED array 1 (not shown)
It shows that the light emitted from is reflected by the mirror array 3 via the lens array 2 and is efficiently incident on the entrance pupil position of the imaging lens 4 or in the vicinity thereof.

Each mirror 3 of the mirror array 3 in FIG.
The angles of the reflecting surfaces of (1), 3 (2), 3 (3) ... Are set on the incident mirror according to the direction of the light beam. For example, if the imaging lens 4 is composed of a fixed lens having one imaging magnification, each mirror 3 (1), 3 (2), 3
The reflecting surfaces of (3) ... Are set to have a fixed angle that varies depending on the arrangement position.

In the figure, the LED array 1 is arranged so as not to block the image forming light flux of the line image formed by the image forming lens 4.
(Not shown) and the lens array 2 are arranged below the mirror array 3, so that the light from the LED array 1 is incident on the mirror array 3 at an angle in the direction perpendicular to the line image 3a. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the mirror array 3 is arranged at an angle in the vertical direction with respect to the line image 3a so that light can be incident near the pupil position of the imaging lens 4.

In the present embodiment, in order to switch the image forming magnification of the image forming lens 4, for example, when the image forming lens 4 is composed of a zoom lens, the position of the entrance pupil of the image forming lens 4 is changed by zooming. . The same applies to the case where the imaging lens 4 is composed of interchangeable lenses having different magnifications.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, each of the mirrors 3 (1), 3 (by the pupil position detection circuit and the mirror angle setting circuit, etc. is arranged so that the reflection direction of light by the mirror array 3 changes in accordance with the change of the entrance pupil position. The angles of the reflecting surfaces 2), 3 (3), ... Are variable. As a result, the light can always be efficiently incident on the entrance pupil position of the imaging lens 4 or in the vicinity thereof by changing the angle of the reflecting surface of each mirror 3 (1), 3 (2), 3 (3).

FIG. 3 shows the mirror array 3 shown in FIGS.
It is explanatory drawing which showed the structure of. The figure shows that the mirror array 3 is composed of mirrors whose mirror angles can be varied by electromagnetic force or the like.

As shown in the figure, the mirror array 3 is composed of a plurality of mirrors 3 (1), 3 (2), 3 (3) ..., Each of the mirrors 3 (1), 3 (2), 3 (3). ) ... The voltage applied to the electrodes 3a (1), 3a (2), 3a (3) ... corresponding to the angles of the reflecting surfaces of the mirrors 3 (1), 3 (2), 3 (3). Can be variably set. The structure of the variable-angle mirror is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-273506.

As described above, the image pickup apparatus of the present embodiment has the LED array 1, the lens array 2, the mirror array 3, the imaging lens 4 and the like as described above, so that an image of electronic data is faithfully formed into a microfilm. be able to.

In this embodiment, the LED is used as the light emitting element of the line image forming means, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, a liquid crystal element with illumination light or an EL (electro luminescence) element may be used. A gradient index lens array may be used as the lens array 2.

Since the size of the microfilm 5 to be recorded also changes when the imaging magnification of the imaging lens 4 is changed, a camera (imaging device) in which the imaging lens 4 and the microfilm 5 are integrally formed is preferable. . In this case, the angle of the reflecting surface of each mirror of the mirror array 3 may be changed in association with the exchange of the camera.

[Second Embodiment] FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. In the figure, the same elements as those shown in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals.

The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment described above in that the deflecting means is composed of a Fresnel lens, and the lens array 2 is omitted accordingly. Other configurations and optical functions are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same effect is obtained.

That is, in the figure, 12 is a Fresnel lens as a deflecting means, which is arranged in the vicinity of the LED array 1.

In the Fresnel lens 12 in this embodiment, each prism angle is set according to the position of each LED so that the light emitted from the LED array 1 is made incident on the entrance pupil position of the imaging lens 4 or in the vicinity thereof. . That is, LE
The further the position of D is from the optical axis L of the imaging lens 4, the larger the prism angle of the corresponding Fresnel lens 12 is set. LED formed via Fresnel lens 12
The line image of the array 1 is formed on the microfilm 5 by the imaging lens 4 as a one-dimensional image with no unevenness of light amount.

A general lens may be used in place of the Fresnel lens 12, but since the lens requires a thickness, there is a problem that the entire apparatus tends to be large.

[0042]

According to the present invention, as described above, a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a one-dimensional direction, and a line image forming means for modulating light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements to form a line image, Image forming means for reducing and forming the line image formed by the line image forming means on the surface of the photosensitive means, and deflecting means for directing light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements to the entrance pupil position of the image forming means or in the vicinity thereof. By having the above, an image of electronic data can be faithfully formed into a microfilm, thereby achieving an image pickup device having the effects of high resolution, long-term storage capability, and conversion into reproducible data by an optical system. You can

Further, the present invention uses an LED for reproducing electronic data.
Since the array is used, it is possible to achieve an image pickup apparatus having an effect that the configuration of microfilling electronic data can be made compact.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a main part of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1, showing that the angles of the respective mirrors are different.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a structure of a variable angle mirror array.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 line image forming means (LED array) 2 lens array 3 Deflection means (mirror array) 4 Imaging means (imaging lens) 5 Photosensitive means (microfilm) 3a, 5a line image 6 Pupil position detection circuit 7 Mirror angle setting circuit 11 Signal modulation circuit 12 Deflection means (Fresnel lens)

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Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a one-dimensional direction,
Line image forming means for modulating the light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements to form a line image; image forming means for reducing and forming a line image by the line image forming means on a photosensitive surface; And a deflecting unit for directing light emitted from the light emitting element to the entrance pupil position of the image forming unit or the vicinity thereof. 2. The deflecting means has a mirror array in which a plurality of mirrors are arranged in a one-dimensional direction and the angle of a reflecting surface is adjustable, and the line image formed by the line image forming means has a plurality of lenses in one-dimensional direction. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the arrayed lens array is formed on or near the reflecting surfaces of a plurality of mirrors of the mirror array. 3. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the deflecting unit is a Fresnel lens. 4. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light emitting elements of the line image forming means are liquid crystal elements with illumination light, EL elements or LEDs. 5. The image forming unit has a zoom lens, and the reflecting surface of the mirror of the mirror array has a mirror angle setting unit that is variable according to the zoom position of the zoom lens. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 2. 6. The Fresnel lens is arranged in the vicinity of the line image forming means.
The imaging device described.