JP2549262B2 - Optical image reader - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical image reading apparatus, and more particularly to a hand scanner (image reader) which is connected to an image processing apparatus such as a word processor or a personal computer and which inputs image information such as characters, pictures and photographs. Of the optical image reading device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, as an image processing device, for example, a word processor, a device having a hand scanner capable of easily inputting an image has appeared.

In this hand scanner, the light of the light source is moved in the sub-scanning direction on the original surface while irradiating the original surface through the reading opening formed on the bottom surface of the housing, and the reflected light from the original surface is reflected by a reflecting means such as a mirror. Via CCD (Charge Co
The reflected light is input into an image sensor such as an upled device) and converted into corresponding image data.

Some of such image scanners generally have a structure capable of visually confirming the read portion of the image original hidden by the reading portion of the scanner during the image reading operation.

[0005]

However, in any of the conventional hand scanners, it is difficult to accurately position the read image portion and the image reading accuracy is deteriorated.

[0006] For example, as shown in FIG. 4, there is obtained by opening a Prying-out window reading for position visible place hit directly above the reading point of the document between the light source and the image sensor, but a to the image scanner the light reflected from the image plane by the illumination of the light source also intervene as disturbance light noise components entering the inside of the scanner housing from Prying-out window, and incident on the image sensor, the image light reflected initial is disturbance It is affected by light and significantly reduces the image reading accuracy. Further, when the light source and the image sensor are arranged in a symmetrical optical axis relationship with respect to the reading point, when reading an image on a glossy surface with good surface reflectivity, the illumination from the light source is mostly reflected back to make the image reading difficult. There are inconveniences such as disabling or easy distortion of the read image.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above, while a very easy visual recognition of the image to be read, disturbance light entering from Prying-out <br/> window little effect on the image reflected light It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical image reading device that can guarantee high-quality image reading without fail and that is excellent in operability of the housing in the sub-scanning direction.

[0008]

To SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To achieve the above object, the optical image reading apparatus according to the invention, arranged along the opening reading light source for illuminating an image reading portion on the read image surface the image light reflected from the image reading surface of the reflection means above the reading opening is arranged so as to reflect the image sensor direction, reads the viewing window on the upper surface of the wafer c ing facing the bottom surface of the housing opening Is provided so as to be deviated from the position immediately above to the side where the image sensor is located , and faces the reading opening from a direction intersecting an optical path connecting the reflecting means and the image sensor, and the reflecting means and the rotating portion.
As a path between the timber, characterized in that the eye viewing the image to be read surface.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF] According to the means described above, the true in the direction intersecting the optical path, the Prying-out window for the eye viewing the image to be read surface via the reading opening of the opening reading the housing top surface connecting the reflecting means and the image sensor since there is provided deviate from above the image sensor side, is very easy to visually recognize the image to be read, excellent in operability, moreover external light incident from Prying-out window does little effect on the image reflected light It is possible to guarantee high-quality image reading.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the housing 2 of the hand scanner 1 for inputting an image of a word processor or a personal computer can input an image as wide as possible, and the sub-scanning direction (right direction in FIG. 1) for easy grasping. ) A wide T-shaped image input portion 5 (second portion) on the upstream side and a grip portion 3 (first portion) on the downstream side in the sub-scanning direction are formed in a substantially T shape. Further, step portions 7 and 9 are formed between the grip 3 and the image input unit 5 on the left and right in the sub scanning direction.

These step portions 7 and 9 are located at different steps in the sub-scanning direction, and when the grip 3 is gripped, the thumb is stepped 7
And the index finger comes into contact with the stepped portion 9.

A mechanism for optically picking up an image such as a character or a figure drawn on the image original P to be read is housed inside the housing 2. This mechanism is located immediately above the reading opening 11 for illuminating the reading opening 11 of the image original P, and changes the optical path of the image reflected light from the image original P in a direction parallel to the original P. The reflection unit 21 includes a photoelectric conversion element such as an image sensor that receives the image reflected light a sent through the reflection unit 21 and photoelectrically converts the image reflected light a, for example, a CCD 25 (line sensor). The image reading here employs a line scanning method in which a reading area of a given image original is conceptually divided into a plurality of scanning lines and each scanning line is imaged. That is, the image is read while moving the scanner along the surface of the image document.
Therefore, the reading opening portion 11 is linearly opened at least in the width direction to the main scanning direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) on the bottom surface of the housing 2 located in the image input portion 5. The reading opening 11 may be closed with a transparent plate.

As the light source 19 for illuminating the reading opening 11 having a narrow width, various lamps or light emitters can be considered. In this embodiment, a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) are arranged in a line. The LED array is used. The light source 19 by this LED array can be driven with low power consumption, can irradiate light with a relatively uniform light amount over the entire illumination region, and is small and lightweight.
Although it is convenient for this type of handy device, any type, configuration, and emission color light source may be used, and these are not particularly limited.

The light source 19 is arranged at a position that illuminates the reading opening 11 obliquely from above and above.

A reading opening 11 illuminated by the light source 19.
The reflection plate 21 provided right above the table has a total reflection mirror surface and is inclined at 45 ° with respect to the document P, and only the vertical reflection component of the reflected light a from the reading opening 11 is totally reflected in the horizontal direction. Then, the image sensor 25 located at the rear is guided.

The image light processing section is fixed inside the grip section 3 and comprises a condenser lens 23 for guiding the image reflected light a to the image sensor 25. The condenser lens 23 is arranged in the optical path of the reflected light a from the reflection plate 21 to the image sensor 25, and the reflected light reflected from the image original P is narrower than the width dimension of the reading opening 11 in the image sensor. 25
Image.

An image sensor 25 for photoelectrically converting the image reflected light a sent through the reflecting plate 21 and the condenser lens 23 and outputting it as an image image information signal or a video signal.
For this, a CCD line sensor is preferable. One cell of the CCD line sensor corresponds to one pixel of an image image read for each scanning line, and pixel light for each cell is photoelectrically converted and output.

Reference numeral 13 is a viewing window provided on the upper surface of the housing 2. The viewing window 13, behind the right above of the reading opening 11, that is, provided the polarization倚position the image sensor 25 side. The viewing window 13 is the reading opening 11
Since positions are polarized倚rearwardly relative, reading opening 1
The path leading to 1 is inclined and is arranged so as to avoid at least the reflection plate 21. Therefore, when viewed obliquely from the rear of the scanner, the opening 11-reading Prying-out window 13 is visible in alignment. Moreover, the inclination of Prying-out window 13 is inclined in a direction opposite to the image sensor 25, there is a slightly ambient light impinging on the document P through a viewing path from Prying-out window 13 is the direction in which the position of the image sensor 25 is reflected in the opposite direction, there is no affect too much to image the reflected light of the first period. That would indicate a high amount of light on the side opposite to the diffuse reflection of external light image sensor from Prying-out window.

[0019] Incidentally, Prying-out window 13 is dust, to prevent entry of俟等, may want to closed by a transparent plate.

[0020] The housing forming the external appearance of the scanner substantially shielding state is maintained by other than the opening portion of the reading opening 11 and Prying-out window 13.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a rotating member such as a roller for smoothly moving the scanner in the sub-scanning direction (rightward in FIG. 1). The roller 17 forms a roller cover by denting the bottom surface of the housing 2 inward. Further, the roller 17 is connected to a detection unit that detects a predetermined amount of movement in the sub-scanning direction when reading an original and updates the scanning line in synchronization with the fixed amount of movement. This detecting means is a transmission member for transmitting the rotation of the roller 17, for example, one or more gears 29, 31, a disc member 35 rotated by the gears 29, 31 in synchronism with the rotation of the roller 17, and a constant amount of the disc member 35. The rotation detecting member 37 detects a rotation amount or a rotation angle.

The disk member 35 has a large number of pores radially on its peripheral surface, and is formed by interposing the disk member on a photo coupler or photo interrupter used as the rotation detecting member 37. As a result, the sub-scanning pulse signal is output from the rotation detecting member 37 at every constant rotation amount of the disk member 35.

Further, the detection means composed of the transmission members such as the gears 29 and 31 described above, the disk member 35, and the rotation detection member 37 is an image reflection member formed in the housing 2 from the reflection plate 21 to the condenser lens 23. Of the area defined by both ends that do not block the optical path of the light a and are located outside the width direction of the reflected light a and that set the length of the reading opening 11 in the width direction in the sub-scanning direction. Reflected light a
Is provided in a region on the inner side in the width direction.

The disk member 35 is attached to the gears 29, 31.
It is provided further on the downstream side in the sub-scanning direction and on the inner side in the width direction of the reflected light a. Thereby, the rotation detecting member 3
It is possible to position 7 further inside the width direction of the reflected light a, and it is possible to prevent the housing 2 from increasing in size, particularly in the width direction.

The control board 27 is provided with a manual operation means, for example, a brightness switch 39 for switching among three steps (dark / standard / light) on the step 7 side. The brightness switch 39 adjusts the density of a read image which is processed by an image processing device such as a personal computer and reproduced on a screen such as a CRT of a computer, and is a step portion 7 among the three sides of the grip 3 of the housing. It is desirable to dispose them on either of the two side surfaces that extend in and 9 and substantially face each other in the main scanning direction. The lightness switch 39 in the present embodiment is arranged on the side surface of the housing extended to the step 7.

As a result, the brightness switch 3 is located at a position close to the fingertip when the grip portion 3 of the housing 2 is gripped.
9 is provided correspondingly, therefore
The brightness switch 39 can be easily operated.

In particular, the brightness switch 39 can be operated while the housing 2 is being held, and the brightness switch 3 can be operated.
After the adjustment of 9, the image reading operation can be directly performed. That is, the reading operation by the hand scanner can be simplified.

Further, since the lightness switch is provided on the side surface of the housing 2 which constitutes the grip portion 3, the lightness switch 39 is less likely to come into direct contact with the outside due to the protrusion of the image input portion 5 having a wide width in the main scanning direction. It is possible to reduce inconveniences such as being damaged by an external impact or being out of adjustment due to contact with the outside.

A circuit for driving the CCD 25 is provided on the control board 27 (not shown below).

This circuit includes an oscillator circuit, a counter circuit, a C
A CD output circuit, a flip-flop circuit, and a decoder are provided, and one terminal of the counter circuit goes to a high level H when counting of the number of invalid photosensors and photocells is not completed. Further, the other terminals become high level H when the number of valid images is counted after the counting of the number of invalid photo cells and the number of non-photo cells is completed.

That is, when the counter circuit counts, the other terminals are set to the high level H when the number of dummy is counted, the effective area is counted next, and when the count is over, one terminal is set to the high level H. So that
The output synchronized with the line start signal is obtained.

If this output, the reset pulse, the sample and hold signal, and the AND of the image output are taken respectively,
It can be output as a counter pulse, a write signal, and an image signal.

The flip-flop circuit and the AND circuit are
It has a function of generating a line start signal by using the sub-scanning signal, the transfer gate signal, and the output of the decoder.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Prying-out window is provided so as to be biased倚the image sensor side, the viewing window
The path of the ambient light that enters from the
Since it is independent of the
I don't. Further, between the rotary member and the reflecting means from Prying-out windows
Incident because the path through it to the reading opening is inclined
Direction to the disturbance light is controlled, the reflection means and the times from Prying-out windows
Rolling image reflected light striking the document passes between the members is reflected in a direction opposite to the direction in which the position of the image sensor, the influence on the image light reflected first <br/> life extremely small, high quality Image reading can be guaranteed.

Further, the viewing window is displayed from directly above the reading opening.
Since it is biased toward the image sensor side, it can be performed in a very natural posture even when monitoring the reading of the document, and the operability is good.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Hand scanner 2 ... Housing 11 ... Reading opening 13 ... Viewing window 17 ... Roller 19 ... LED array 21 ... Reflector 23 ... Condensing lens 25 ... CCD 27 ... Control board

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A reading formed on the bottom surface along the main scanning direction.
And c c di <br/> ring having a viewing window on the upper surface facing the opening and a bottom surface, a light source provided in the housing for illuminating an image reading portion on the scanned image surface facing the reading opening, Reflecting means provided in the housing for reflecting the image reflected light from the image reading portion in the direction along the image surface to be read, and receiving the image reflected light from the reflecting means to correspond the image reflected light. In an optical image reading device including an image sensor provided in a housing for converting into image data, and a rotating member that rotates as the housing moves in the sub-scanning direction, the light source is a sub-reader of the reading opening. Diagonally above on the upstream side in the scanning direction
Is arranged along the reading opening, and
The sensor is arranged on the downstream side of the reading opening, and
The step reflects the reflected light from the light source toward the image sensor.
Is disposed above the reading opening so that the
The rotating member is provided on the downstream side of the reading opening in the sub scanning direction.
The viewing window is placed so as to avoid image reflected light, and the viewing window is located from a position directly above the reading opening.
Is provided in a biased position on the side where the
Between the reflecting means and the rotating member from the intersecting direction
Visually check the image surface to be read in the reading opening as a path
An optical image reading device characterized by being capable of being cut.