JP2537225B2 - Image reading device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a reading device for reading an image.

[Prior art]

An image reading apparatus has been proposed in which an image of a document is exposed by a light source, and reflected light or transmitted light from the document is read by an image sensor such as a CCD.

In such an apparatus, the light amount of the light source affects the lightness and darkness of the read image, and good reading cannot be performed unless the original is exposed with a stable and appropriate light amount.

Further, it is difficult to focus an optical lens or the like that guides the light image from the document to the image sensor.

〔Purpose〕

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and in an arrangement for guiding an optical image from a document exposed by a light source to a reading unit and thereby reading a document image, an optical system for guiding the optical image to the reading unit. For the purpose of enabling good focusing of the means, in detail, a light source, a reading means for reading a document image by a light image from a document exposed by the light source, and the light image to the reading means. And an image reading device which has an optical unit for guiding the light and increases the light amount of the light source more than the light amount when the image is read by the reading unit when focusing the optical unit. The present invention provides an image reading device having display means for displaying an operation procedure for focusing the optical means.

〔Example〕

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described by way of examples with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a transparent original reading device to which the present invention is applied. This transparent original reading device is composed of a reader unit 1, a projection reflection unit unit 2, and an exposure unit unit 3.

In the reader unit 1, 101 is a platen glass on which an image of a transparent original is projected. CCD104 which is a linear image sensor of about 5000 bits by mirror 102 and lens 103
Then, the light projected on the platen glass 101 is condensed. Then, the optical unit composed of the three mirrors 102 is moved in the direction of the arrow to read the entire image line by line.

The analog image signal output from the CCD 104 is a signal amplifier 105.
The signal is amplified by and then converted into a multilevel digital signal by the analog / digital converter 106.

A digital signal processing unit 107 performs image signal processing such as siding correction for level correction of the image signal and γ conversion for density characteristic correction. The image signal processed in this way is output to a printer, a file device, or the like. Also, 108
Is a motor driver for driving the optical unit including the mirror 102 described above.

Reference numeral 109 denotes a central processing unit that is composed of a microcomputer, controls the operation unit 110, the signal processing unit 107, and the motor driver 108, and turns on / off the lamp 304 of the exposure unit unit 3 and the light emission amount through the I / O unit 111. to manage.

In the projection reflection unit unit 2, 201 is a reflection mirror, 2
Reference numeral 02 denotes a Fresnel lens, which collects the transparent original image projected from the exposure unit section 3 on the original table glass 101. Reference numeral 203 denotes a white plate made of an opaque white material, which is reciprocally movable in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and is manually set by the operator under the Fresnel lens 302 shown by the solid line to project a transparent original image and adjust the focus. It's easy to see. When reading the original, the white plate 203 is removed from below the Fresnel lens 302 so that the transparent original image is guided to the original glass 101.

In the exposure unit section 3, the film set in the film setting section 305 is irradiated by a lamp 304, which is a halogen lamp, to project an image. During manual focus adjustment, the value of the current flowing through the lamp 304 is increased to make the image on the white plate clearer and facilitate visual focusing (focus adjustment).

Further, the variable resistor 307 can control the light amount of the lamp. 3
03 indicates the ON / OFF of the lamp 304 and the amount of light emission by the C of the reader unit 1.
It is a lamp driver that controls according to instructions from the PU 109. 3
Reference numeral 06 denotes a focus adjustment lens, which is manually operated by the operator to move the lever 302 in the direction of the arrow to adjust the focus of the film image projected on the platen glass 101.

FIG. 2 shows the appearance of the operation unit 110. This operation unit is provided on the upper surface of the reader unit 1. 21 is a start key for instructing the start of reading, 22 is a reset key for clearing all the set modes and resetting the device to the standard state, 23 is a ten key for setting the desired number of readings, and 24 is the number of readings set by the ten key 23. Numerical display for displaying, 25 is a project mode key for instructing the project mode which is a reading mode of the film image, and 26 is a liquid crystal display composed of 240 × 64 dot liquid crystal for displaying characters, numbers, symbols and the like. .

The surface of the liquid crystal display 26 is covered with a transparent touch panel. This touch panel has a built-in 4 × 10 matrix transparent electrode switch, and the coordinate values when specified by a finger or the like are stored in the CPU 109. Get caught.

FIG. 3 shows the CPU109 control procedure. This procedure is CPU109
It is pre-programmed in the built-in ROM. Further, FIG. 4 shows a display example of the liquid crystal display 26.

When reading the film image, the operator presses the project mode key 25 of the operation unit 110. When the CPU 109 determines that the project mode key 25 has been pressed (S1), it displays the screen (A) shown in FIG. 4 (S2).

As a result, the film image set on the exposure unit section 3 can be read. On the screen (A) of FIG. 4, the operator selects the type of film to be read or specifies the focus adjustment mode. That is, the displayed mode keys 401 to 404 correspond to a color negative, a color positive, a black and white negative and a black and white positive, respectively. By pressing these keys 401 to 404, the type of the film is selected. It The type of film is selected because it is necessary to make the γ correction and the like in the signal processing unit 107 different depending on the type of film. Also, key 40
Pressing 5 indicates the focus adjustment mode described later.

After displaying the screen (A), the CPU 109 determines the operation of the mode keys 401 to 404 and the focus adjustment key 405 of the liquid crystal display 26, the start key 21 and the reset key 22 of the operation unit 110.

Normally, the operator first selects the type of film with the mode keys 401 to 404. CPU109 is mode key 401 ~ 4
When 04 either is pressed (S3), performs a mode setting corresponding to the selected type of film (S13), a timer is started T ₂ of the for automatic return further below.

The operator then presses the focus adjustment key 405 to make focus adjustments. When the focus adjustment key 40 is pressed (S4), the CPU 109 displays the screen (B) shown in FIG. 4 on the liquid crystal display 2 (S16). The screen (B) is a guidance display of the operation to be performed by the operator for adjusting the focus, and the film setting section 30 of the exposure unit section 3 is displayed to the operator.
Film set to 5, white plate 203 of projection reflection unit 2
Is set to the position indicated by the solid line in the drawing, and then the lever 302 is operated to guide the user to adjust the focus while observing the projected image on the white plate 203.

In addition, the CPU 109 displays the screen (B) and causes the lamp driver 303 of the exposure unit section 3 to move the lamp 304 to the CCD 1
Gives an instruction to turn on the light with a larger amount of light than when reading an image with 04 (S17).

Therefore, the operator operates the lever 302 to adjust the focus while observing the projected image on the white plate 203 of the film illuminated by the lamp 304 that is strongly lit. When the focus adjustment is completed, the operator operates the OK key 406 on the screen (B).

If the CPU 109 determines the operation of the OK key 406 (S18),
The screen (C) shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 26 (S19). Then, the lamp 303 is turned on with a normal light amount when reading an image (S20).

Like the screen (B), the screen (C) also displays a guidance of the operation to be performed by the operator. When the focus adjustment is completed, the white plate 203 is pulled out to the position indicated by the dotted line in the figure, and then the start key 21 is pressed. It is a guide dance to the effect.

When the operator pulls out the white plate 203 and becomes readable, the operator presses the OK key 407 on the screen (C). If the CPU 109 determines that the OK key 407 has been pressed (S21), it starts the timer T ₂ and displays the screen (A) again (S).
2).

When the focus adjustment is completed in this way, the operator depresses the start key 21 to instruct the start of image reading. When the CPU 109 determines that the start key 21 is pressed (S5), it determines whether the lamp 304 is currently lit (S6).

If the start key 21 is pressed after the focus adjustment, before the completion of the timer T ₂ or after the image reading is completed and before the completion of the timer T ₂ , the lamp 304 is in the lighting state, but the start is performed without adjusting the focus. When the key 21 is pressed, the focus adjustment is completed, or the start key 21 is pressed after the timer T ₂ is timed after the image reading is completed, the lamp 304 is off. Therefore, when the lamp is off,
304 was normal lighting (S7), it starts a timer T ₁ (S
8). Then, if the timer T ₁ has timed (S9),
The image reading by the CCD 103 is started (S10). The reading after the timer T ₁ is started in this way is to wait for the light quantity of the lamp 302 to stabilize. The time T ₁ is determined according to the characteristics of the lamp and is, for example, about 2 seconds. Repeat the image reading number of times set by the ten-key 23, if a few minutes of reading setting determines the end (S11), and displays the screen again and starts timer T ₂ (A) (S2 ). In this case, the lamp 304 is normally kept on.

On the other hand, if the new copy key 21 is not pressed until the timer T ₂ finishes measuring the time after reading the set number of images, the lamp 304 continues to light for a long time, and the lamp life and power consumption are reduced. It is not preferable from the aspect. Also, if the film is set, the film will be affected by heat.

Therefore, when the start key 21 is not pressed after the image reading is finished and it is determined that the time measurement of the timer T ₂ is finished (S23),
The lamp 304 is turned off (S25), and the device is stopped. still,
This time T ₂ is arbitrarily selected according to the characteristics of the device and the use condition, and is, for example, about 10 minutes.

In addition, as described above, the timer T ₂ has the mode keys 401 to 404.
It is also started after the mode is set according to the selection of the film type by and after the focus adjustment is completed (S14, S22). Therefore, even if the start key 21 is not pressed by the time T ₂ after setting the mode and adjusting the focus, the lamp 30
It goes out to 2 and the device is stopped.

Needless to say, the time during which the lamp is turned off after the mode is set and the focus is adjusted may be different from the time T ₂ .

On the other hand, the operator operates the reset key 22 of the operation unit 110.
When is pressed, regardless of the timing of the timer T ₂ Lamp 3
02 Turns off the light and stops the device.

As described above, once the lamp 304 is turned on, the lamp is kept on and the lamp 304 is turned off when the reading operation is not performed for a certain period of time, so that the reading operation is continuously performed. It is possible to eliminate the delay time until the light quantity stabilizes except the first time.
The lamp will no longer be left on.

Also, increase the light intensity of the lamp 304 during focus adjustment,
By projecting an image on 03, visual focus adjustment becomes easy.

Further, the operator can adjust the focus without error by operating while confirming the message displayed on the liquid crystal display 26.

In the present embodiment, the light amount during focus adjustment is increased by the instruction of the CPU 109, but it is also possible to provide a light amount switching switch in the exposure unit section 3 and execute the light amount switching by the switch.

Further, although the film reading structure is described in the present embodiment, the present invention is also applicable to a structure for reading an image by reflected light from a document. Further, as the lamp 304, other light sources such as a fluorescent lamp can be used in addition to the halogen lamp.

〔effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the light source, the reading means for reading the original image by the light image from the original exposed by the light source, and the optical means for guiding the light image to the reading means, When focusing the optical means, since the light quantity of the light source is made to be larger than the light quantity at the time of reading the image by the reading means, the focusing can be easily performed, and the focusing of the optical means is performed. Since it has a display means for displaying the operation procedure of, the focusing can be surely executed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a document reading apparatus to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is an external view of an operation unit, FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a control procedure of a CPU, and FIG. 4 is a display example of a liquid crystal display. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a reader unit, a projection reflection unit unit, and a projection reflection unit unit.
Is an exposure unit section, 104 is a CCD, 109 is a CPU, 110 is an operation section, 21 is a start key, 25 is a project mode key,
26 is a liquid crystal display.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A light source, a reading means for reading a document image by a light image from a document exposed by the light source, and an optical means for guiding the light image to the reading means. Focusing of the optical means. When performing the above, the image reading device is characterized in that the light amount of the light source is made larger than the light amount when the image is read by the reading means. 2. A light source, reading means for reading a document image by a light image from a document exposed by the light source, optical means for guiding the light image to the reading means, and focusing for the optical means. An image reading apparatus having a display unit for displaying an operation procedure.