JP4089518B2 - Scanner head and scanner device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a line scanner head and a scanner apparatus that use a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) as an image reading element.
[0002]
[Prior art]
There are many types of CIS. For example, various CISs exist depending on differences in size, reading speed, number of pixels, resolution, etc., differences in monochrome and color, and the like. These CISs differ in shift clock pulse, transfer rate, and other attributes depending on the type of the CIS. Therefore, the scanner device processes and controls read data according to functions or attributes unique to the attached image reading element (imaging element). In order to perform these controls, the scanner device is provided with control software adapted to the CIS. Therefore, when the CIS is exchanged with another type of CIS, the control software must be changed according to the function and attribute. For this reason, as a conventional scanner device, a CIS and control software are integrally configured as a pair, or a plurality of firmware corresponding to each CIS is built in, and the firmware corresponding to the type of CIS is included. There are some that can be switched manually or changed. There is also a conventional technique for determining the type of CIS by monitoring the peak output level of CIS (see Patent Document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-69289
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, in order to replace the CIS, a scanner head block including the CIS (hereinafter referred to as a scanner head) is provided so as to be replaceable, and is controlled in accordance with attribute data including the resolution, function, etc. of the replaced scanner head. The software type or settings need to be changed. However, these change work and switching work are complicated and complicated work that must be performed by accurately recognizing the type and attribute of the CIS. If these work is performed every time the scanner head is replaced, There is a problem from the viewpoint of practicality. On the other hand, it is not preferable from the viewpoint of economical efficiency to manufacture individual scanner devices in accordance with individual scanner heads. In addition, in order to monitor the CIS output level, determine the CIS peak level, and determine the type, it is necessary to install a white reference plate or the like at the reading position. There is a problem that attribute information cannot be acquired.
[0005]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art. A scanner head and a scanner capable of easily acquiring attribute information of the replaced scanner head without changing the output means of the scanner head provided with the CIS. An object is to provide an apparatus and a data processing method thereof.
[0006]
The present invention also obtains attached CIS attribute data without using a special port or the like, and can automatically change the installed CIS control software according to the CIS attribute. And providing a method is one of its purposes.
[0007]
Another object of the present invention is to provide a CIS capable of providing CIS attribute data and a manufacturing method thereof.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention solves the above problem by storing the attribute data in a dummy element of the CIS used for the scanner head and providing the scanner head with the attribute data of the scanner head by an image reading operation. Based on the acquired attribute data, the scanner device selects corresponding control software from a plurality of control software stored therein, and executes image data processing.
[0009]
A scanner head according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a contact image sensor having a plurality of effective elements used for image reading and a plurality of dummy elements not used for image reading. The scanner head attribute data is stored. According to this aspect, it is possible to extract attribute data directly from the scanner head, and the scanner device itself can determine the attribute of the scanner head and select control software. The attribute of the scanner head is a concept including attributes such as the width and size of the scanner head in addition to the CIS attribute used for the scanner head block.
[0010]
A scanner head according to another aspect of the present invention is characterized in that each of the plurality of dummy elements is pulled up to a predetermined voltage or pulled down according to each bit value of the attribute data to be stored. . According to this aspect, it is possible to store attribute data by effectively using elements that are not normally used. These data are preferably stored when the scanner is manufactured.
[0011]
A scanner head according to another aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the attribute data is stored in a part of the dummy elements. It is not always necessary to use all of the dummy elements, so that the first few bits or the last few bits of the dummy elements are not used to improve the accuracy of data storage or allow the dummy elements to be used for other purposes. Is also possible.
[0012]
A scanner head according to another aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the dummy element is not provided with a pixel sensor, and the output is pulled up or down to a predetermined voltage in accordance with each bit value of the attribute data. According to this aspect, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost without providing unnecessary pixel sensors.
[0013]
In the scanner head according to another aspect of the present invention, the dummy element and the effective element are configured by the same element, the pixel sensor of the dummy element is set to be inoperable, and the output is set to a predetermined voltage according to the attribute data. It is characterized by setting to. In this aspect, it is possible to enjoy the merits of making the effective elements and the dummy elements uniform.
[0014]
A scanner device according to a first aspect of the present invention separates output data output from any one of the scanner heads and the scanner head into output data of dummy elements and output data of effective elements. An output data separation unit, a determination processing unit that extracts attribute data from the output data of the dummy element received from the data separation unit, and selects control software corresponding to the scanner head specified by the attribute data; and a determination processing unit And a data processing unit for processing output data of the effective element received from the data separation unit based on the selected control software. According to this aspect, it is possible to flexibly change the function of the scanner device by exchanging the scanner head. Further, since the attribute is automatically read and the corresponding control software is selected simply by replacing the scanner head, the scanner head can be easily replaced at the work site.
[0015]
A scanner device according to another aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the scanner head is provided so as to be exchangeable with a different type of scanner head.
[0016]
A method for manufacturing a scanner head according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a step of aligning and forming a plurality of elements that read pixel data of an image, and stopping an image reading function of some of the elements, Forming a dummy element in which the data is stored.
[0017]
A method of manufacturing a scanner head according to another aspect of the present invention includes a step of aligning and forming a plurality of effective elements for reading each pixel data of an image, forming a dummy element different from the effective elements, and the dummy element And a step of storing predetermined data.
[0018]
The data processing method of the scanner device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes (a) output data of each element of a scanner head including a contact image sensor having a dummy element storing attribute data and an effective element for reading an image. A step of sequentially receiving, (b) a step of outputting the output of the dummy element and an output of the effective element separately from the received output data, and (c) reading attribute data from the output of the separated dummy element A process of designating control software corresponding to the attribute data; and (d) a data processing process of processing output data of the effective element separated by the designated control software.
[0019]
Another aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to execute each step of the data processing method. The computer includes a CPU, a logic circuit, a memory, various control programs, and the like, and executes each step of the data processing method by reading this program.
[0020]
Another aspect of the present invention is a computer-readable recording medium in which a program for causing a computer to execute each step of the data processing method is described.
The computer includes a CPU, a logic circuit, a memory, various control programs, and the like, and executes each step of the data processing method by reading a program recorded on the recording medium.
[0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
[0022]
There are many types of scanner heads used in scanner devices. For example, various classifications are made according to differences in attributes such as size, shape, number of image elements, resolution, monochrome or color, performance, function, etc. In the scanner device, it is necessary to set control software in accordance with the attributes of these scanners. However, since the scanner device is developed using only a specific type of scanner head to be developed, the necessity of directly acquiring such information from the scanner head has not been recognized. Therefore, in the prior art, the difference in attribute information cannot be determined by the scanner head.
[0023]
However, there are cases where improvements such as increasing the reading accuracy of the scanner device or enabling color reading are required. In order to provide a scanner device that can flexibly change the function in response to such a request, it is necessary to be able to exchange various scanner heads. At that time, in order to operate the changed scanner device normally, (1) to share various circuits and control software, (2) to determine the attributes of the replaced scanner head by the scanner device, It is desirable that the control software corresponding to the scanner head can be automatically selected.
[0024]
In order to select appropriate control software, it is necessary to make the scanner device recognize the attribute data of the scanner head after replacement. It is also possible to provide a switch and the like so that the user can input attribute data. However, this method has various problems such as input mistakes, annoyance of setting, placement of setting switches, and costs, so it is not practical. Absent. The present invention solves these points.
[0025]
This will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a composite processing apparatus equipped with a scanner head according to the present invention. The composite processing apparatus 10 has various functions such as a magnetic ink reading device, a printing device, and a scanner. Such a composite processing apparatus is used, for example, for check processing by a POS system. The present invention can be applied not only to such a complex processing apparatus but also to a scanner apparatus having a line scanner head. In FIG. 1, the arrangement of the scanner head 11, the MICR head 12, the print head 13, and the pressing rollers 14 and 15 is shown in order to simply show the configuration of the composite processing apparatus. A sheet 50 such as a check inserted from the insertion port 17 is conveyed through the conveyance path 18 and discharged from the discharge port 19. Meanwhile, the magnetic ink characters are read by the MICR 12 and performed by the print head 13. The scanner head 11 is used for reading and storing an image such as a check or for optically reading a character.
[0026]
As described above, a CIS head can be used as the scanner head 11. Therefore, in the following description, a description will be given using a CIS head. The CIS head is an abbreviation for a contact image sensor. Image sensors are arranged in a line in the horizontal or vertical direction, and an image is read while moving the paper or the sensor. In a line scanner head such as a CIS head, reflected light of a read image is read by a plurality of image elements, and data output from each image element is extracted as analog serial data by a synchronous clock.
[0027]
A CIS head usually has a dummy element in addition to an effective image reading element (referred to as an effective element) used for image reading, and data of the dummy element is discarded. Normally, the first several tens of elements of CIS are discarded as output data of dummy elements. The dummy element is provided for various reasons such as manufacturing reasons and improving the accuracy of read data.
The number of image reading elements (hereinafter referred to as “image elements”) provided in the CIS head varies depending on the resolution and readable size, but usually a line scanner head in which 1000 or more image elements are arranged in one direction. It has become. The line scanner head is output as analog serial data by applying a synchronous clock. Since the prior art has several tens of dummy elements before the first effective image element, the data of the first tens of elements are discarded. The present invention provides a scanner head in which unique information is fixedly stored at the element level by embedding information (referred to as attribute data) relating to the scanner head in the dummy element portion.
[0028]
FIG. 2 shows a basic electrical structure of the image sensor element portion of the CIS head according to one embodiment of the present invention. Image sensor elements are arranged in a row corresponding to pixels for reading an image. Normally, there are several tens of dummy elements in the CIS head, but the CIS of this embodiment has only three dummy elements (referred to as dummy elements) for easy understanding of the drawing. There are 1216 elements (referred to as “effective elements”) for acquiring an image.
[0029]
One effective element includes a pixel sensor c and a transistor b. One ends of the pixel sensors c1 to cn are connected to the power supply line VCC, and the other ends are connected to the emitters of the respective transistors b1 to bn. The collector end of the transistor is connected to the output line 25. The output line is connected to the amplifier 22 and is taken out as the output A0 of the amplifier 22. The output of the shift register 21 is input to the gates of the transistors b1 to bn. The shift register 21 is activated by the output start trigger SI and is driven to shift according to the shift clock SCLK.
[0030]
The reading object (check or the like) is irradiated by the issuing LED 20, and the intensity of the reflected light is captured by the pixel sensors c1 and c2. VLED is a voltage for the issuing LED, and GGND is a ground for the issuing LED.
[0031]
In the conventional dummy element, the pixel sensor c is provided in the same manner as the effective element. However, the dummy element of the present embodiment includes only the transistor a. The emitter ends of the transistors a1 to a3 are connected to the power supply line CC or the ground so as to indicate the bit value of desired attribute data. When connected to the power supply line CC, the bit value becomes “1”, and when connected to the ground, the bit value becomes “0”. Therefore, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the dummy element indicates “101” as attribute data. Thus, by fixing the dummy element to the power supply voltage or the ground level, the dummy element outputs fixed information.
[0032]
Reading is started by the output start trigger SI. When the output start trigger SI is output, the shift register 21 is activated, and the outputs S1 to Sx of the shift register 21 are sequentially output according to the shift clock SCLK. When the outputs S1 to Sx of the shift register 21 become “high”, the transistors a1 to a3 and b1 to bn are sequentially turned “on”. As a result, the state of the emitter of each transistor is sequentially serially output to the output line 25 in accordance with the shift clock SCLK, and becomes the output A0 of the amplifier 22. In the scanner head of FIG. 2, the data for the first three clocks is the output of the dummy element, that is, the attribute data, and the output data thereafter is the analog output corresponding to the state of the effective element, that is, the pixel sensors c1 to cn. Become.
[0033]
FIG. 2 shows an embodiment. The dummy element and the effective element are not limited to this configuration, the dummy element can store predetermined attribute data, and the effective element senses light. Any configuration that can be output by the person skilled in the art and related technical fields can be used. For example, the dummy element is also composed of a pixel sensor c and a transistor in the same manner as the effective element, and without connecting the pixel sensor c to the power supply voltage, it is possible to pull up or pull down the emitter input of the transistor according to the attribute data. is there. As a result, the dummy element and the effective element can have the same configuration, and a simple integrated circuit configuration can be obtained.
[0034]
FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing the relationship between the shift clock SCLK and the output A0 of the amplifier 22 according to one embodiment of the present invention and the related art. FIG. 3 shows an example in which eight dummy elements are used (attribute data is composed of 8 bits).
[0035]
When the shift clock SCLK is output after the output start trigger SI is output, first, outputs from the eight dummy elements are sequentially extracted from the output A0 of the amplifier 22 in synchronization with the shift clock SCLK. In the conventional scanner head, the dummy element is also provided with a pixel sensor. Therefore, the output A0 (middle stage in FIG. 3) of the amplifier 22 also changes according to the light sensing state of the pixel sensor of the dummy element.
[0036]
On the other hand, in the present invention, since each bit of the dummy element is pulled up or pulled down, predetermined 8-bit attribute information (10110010) is output from the output A0 (lowermost stage in FIG. 3) of the amplifier 22. . Thereby, the attribute information stored at the time of shipment can be acquired by a normal image reading process. By increasing the number of bits of attribute data (number of dummy elements), more attribute data can be encoded and stored. As attribute data, for example, color information, total element number information, resolution information, and the like can be exemplified, but other various attribute data can be arbitrarily stored.
[0037]
After the dummy elements are output, effective elements are sequentially output in accordance with the shift clock. Since the output of the effective element is obtained by capturing the reflected light of the image with the pixel sensor c, the output of the prior art and the present invention are the same.
[0038]
Although FIG. 3 shows an example in which an effective element is output immediately after 8 bits of attribute data, a dummy element can be further provided between the attribute data and the effective element. It is also possible to provide a dummy element not related to the attribute data before starting the attribute data.
[0039]
The reading process of the scanner device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the main part of the scanner device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[0040]
Data output from the scanner head 11 is sent to the data separator 31. The data separation unit 31 separates the dummy element data from the received data and extracts attribute data from the dummy element data. Further, the data separation unit 31 outputs the extracted attribute data to the determination processing unit 32 and discards the remaining dummy element data. The effective element data separated from the received data is output to the data processing unit 35.
[0041]
Various methods can be adopted as to how the dummy element data is extracted from the received data. For example, it is possible to determine the number of pieces of dummy element data from the beginning and the number of them is attribute data. It is also possible to determine the bit pattern at the end of dummy element data and the start and end positions of attribute data.
[0042]
The determination processing unit 32 includes a head determination unit 33 and a control software selection unit 34. The head determination unit 33 decodes the code indicated by the attribute data received from the data separation unit 31. This can be achieved by providing a table corresponding to various attribute data codes. The type, function, and the like of the scanner head 11 decoded and specified by the attribute data are output to the control software selection unit 34. The control software selection unit 34 stores control software corresponding to the control of the various scanner heads 11. The control software selection unit 34 selects control software corresponding to the specified scanner head and outputs the information to the data processing unit 35. The data processing unit 35 processes the output data from the effective element based on the control software selected by the control software selection unit 34 and outputs it to the output unit 36.
[0043]
In this way, attribute information such as the type and function of the scanner head 11 is automatically acquired at the time of image reading, and image reading processing is executed by the corresponding control software. Accordingly, even when the scanner head is replaced, no additional processing such as input of attribute data is required. As a result, it is possible to change to various scanners having different functions by simply attaching and detaching the scanner head 11, and it is possible to provide a scanner for other applications that can flexibly change to various functions.
[0044]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the scanner head of the present invention stores the attribute data in the dummy element and provides the scanner head attribute data to the scanner device by the image reading operation. Further, the scanner device selects corresponding control software from a plurality of control software stored therein based on the acquired attribute data, and executes image data processing. Thereby, the scanner device can acquire attribute data as output data from the scanner head, and can automatically select corresponding control software. Therefore, it is possible to provide a scanner head and a scanner device that can exchange different types of scanner heads and can change functions flexibly.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a composite processing apparatus equipped with a scanner head according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a basic electrical structure of an image sensor element portion of a CIS head according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing a relationship between a shift clock SCLK, an output A0 of an amplifier 22 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the related art.
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing a main part of a scanner device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Composite processing apparatus 11 Scanner head 12 MICR head 13 Print head 14, 15 Paper holding roller 17 Paper insertion port 18 Transport path 19 Paper discharge port 20 Issuing LED 21 Shift register 22 Amplifier 25 Output line 31 Data separation part 32 Judgment process Unit 33 head determination unit 34 control software selection unit 35 data processing unit 36 output unit a dummy element transistor b effective element transistor c pixel sensor A0 amplifier output S1 output start trigger SCLK shift clock 50 paper

Claims (6)

In a scanner head including a contact image sensor having a plurality of effective elements used for reading an image and a plurality of dummy elements not used for reading an image,
Storing the attribute data of the scanner head in the dummy element ;
A scanner head , wherein each of the plurality of dummy elements is pulled up to a predetermined voltage or pulled down in accordance with each bit value of the attribute data to be stored . Wherein a portion of the elements in the dummy device, a scanner head according to claim 1, characterized in that has been stored the attribute data. In a scanner head including a contact image sensor having a plurality of effective elements used for reading an image and a plurality of dummy elements not used for reading an image,
Storing the attribute data of the scanner head in the dummy element;
Wherein the dummy device, without providing the pixel sensors, the scanner head characterized by pull-up or pull-down to a predetermined voltage to match the output to each bit value of the attribute data. The dummy element and the effective element are configured by the same element, a pixel sensor of the dummy element is set to be inoperable, and an output thereof is set to a predetermined voltage according to the attribute data. The scanner head according to 1 . The scanner head according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
A data separation unit that outputs the output data output from the scanner head separately to output data of the dummy element and output data of the effective element; and
A determination processing unit that extracts the attribute data from the output data of the dummy element received from the data separation unit, and selects control software corresponding to the scanner head specified by the attribute data;
Based on the control software selected by the determination processing unit, a data processing unit that processes output data of the effective element received from the data separation unit;
A scanner device comprising: 6. The scanner device according to claim 5 , wherein the scanner head is provided so as to be exchangeable with a different type of scanner head.

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