JPH03174868A - Optical picture reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the picture reader from being destroyed due to exertion of external shock to a manual operation means by providing the manual operation means to a side face provided nearly opposite to a 1st part with respect to a main scanning direction. CONSTITUTION:A housing 2 of a hand scanner 1 is formed to be nearly T-shape while being divided into a wide picture input section 5 (2nd part) at the upper stream in the subscanning direction (to the right in figure) and a grip 3 (1st part) at the down stream in the subscanning direction so as to input the picture widely and to offer ease of grip. Moreover, since a lightness switch (manual operation means) 39 is provided to a side face of the housing 2 being a component of the grip 3, the lightness switch 39 is hardly in direct contact with an external side due to the protrusion of the wide picture input section 5 in the main scanning direction. Thus, destruction of the manual operation means due to an external shock is avoided.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an optical reading device, and particularly to a handheld device that is connected to an image processing device such as a word processor or a personal computer and that inputs image information such as text, pictures, and photographs. The present invention relates to optical image reading devices such as scanners (Image League).

[Conventional technology]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, image processing devices such as word processors equipped with hand scanners that can easily input images have appeared.

This hand scanner moves light from a light source on the document surface in the sub-scanning direction while irradiating the document surface through a reading aperture formed on the bottom of the housing, and reflects light from the document surface through a reflecting means such as a mirror. CCD (Charge Co.
The reflected light is input to an image sensor such as an uploaded device and converted into corresponding image data.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, in order to correct the read image to an appropriate state, the hand scanner generally requires manual operation from outside the housing that adjusts and processes the image data converted by the image sensor, such as a density control volume, contrast volume, and resolution changeover switch. have the means. Furthermore, by providing this manual operation means on the side surface of the grip portion of the housing and at a position approximately corresponding to the fingertips when gripping the housing, it can be easily operated.

However, since the manual operation means is provided to protrude from the housing, there are disadvantages in that the manual operation means may be damaged by external shocks or the adjustment results may be distorted by contact with the outside.

[Means and effects for solving the problems] The present invention has been developed in view of the above, and the housing includes a first portion that is held when moving the image reading device in the sub-scanning direction, and a first portion that is gripped when the image reading device is moved in the sub-scanning direction. The second part is wider in the main scanning direction than the first part, and the manual operating means is provided on the side surface of the housing that is provided substantially opposite to the first part in the main scanning direction. Due to the protrusion of the second portion that is wide in the scanning direction, it is possible to reduce the inconvenience that the manual operation means is damaged due to direct impact from the outside, or that the adjustment result is distorted due to contact with the outside.

〔Example〕

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

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the housing 2 of the hand scanner 1 for inputting images into word processors and personal computers is designed to allow input of images as wide as possible, and is designed to be easily gripped in the sub-scanning direction and toward the right in Figure 1. 〉
It is formed into a substantially T-shape with a wide image input section 5 (second section) on the upstream side and a grip section 3 (first section) on the downstream side in the sub-scanning direction.

Furthermore, stepped portions 7.9 are formed on the left and right sides in the sub-scanning direction between the grip 3 and the image input section 5.

These stepped portions 7.9 are located at different levels from each other in the sub-scanning direction, so that when the grip 3 is gripped, the thumb comes into contact with the stepped portion 7 and the index finger comes into contact with the stepped portion 9.

Inside the housing 2, there is an image original P to be read.
Contains a mechanism for optically picking up images such as letters and figures drawn on the screen. This mechanism is
A light source 19 for illuminating the reading aperture 11 of the image original P
, a reflecting means 21 located directly above the reading aperture 11 for changing the optical path of the image reflected light from the image original P in a direction parallel to the original P; and an image reflected light a sent through the reflecting means 21. It consists of a photoelectric conversion element such as an image sensor that receives light and performs photoelectric conversion, such as a CCD 25 (line sensor).

Image reading here employs a line scanning method in which the reading area of a given image document is conceptually divided into a plurality of scanning lines and an image is captured for each scanning line.

That is, the image is read while moving the scanner along the surface of the image document. Therefore, the reading opening 1
1 is located on the bottom surface of the housing 2 located at the image input section 5,
It has a linear opening in at least the width direction or the main scanning direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 1). This reading opening 11 is preferably closed with a transparent plate.

A light source 19 that illuminates the narrow reading aperture 11
Although various lamps or light emitters can be used as the light emitting device, this embodiment uses an LED array in which a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) are arranged in a line. This LED array light source 19 can be driven with low power consumption, can emit light with a relatively uniform amount of light over the entire illumination area, and is small and lightweight, which is advantageous for this type of handheld device. , what type, configuration,
A light source of a luminescent color may be used, and the present invention is not particularly limited to these.

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

A reflection plate 21 provided directly above the reading aperture 11 illuminated by the light source 19 has a total reflection mirror surface, and has a mirror surface that reflects the original
It is tilted at an angle of 5°, so that only the vertically reflected component of the reflected light a from the reading aperture 11 is totally reflected in the horizontal direction and guided to the image sensor 25 located at the rear.

The image light processing section is fixed inside the grip section 3, and includes a condenser lens 23 that guides the image reflected light a to the image sensor 25.
It is equipped with The condensing lens 23 is disposed in the optical path of the reflected light a from the reflection plate 21 to the image sensor 25, and reads the reflected light from the image document P through the aperture 11.
An image is formed on the image sensor 25 with a width narrower than the width dimension.

The image sensor 25 that photoelectrically converts the image reflected light a sent through the reflection plate 21 and the condensing lens 23 and outputs it as an image information signal or video signal is a CC.
A D-line sensor is preferred. CCD line sensor 1
Each cell corresponds to one pixel of an image read out for each scanning line, and the pixel light of each cell is photoelectrically converted and output.

13 is a viewing window provided on the upper surface of the housing 2. This viewing window 13 is provided at a position displaced from directly above the reading opening 11 to the rear, that is, toward the image sensor 25 side.

Since the viewing window 13 is displaced rearward with respect to the reading opening 11, the hole leading to the reading opening 11 is inclined.
It is arranged so as to avoid at least the reflection plate 21.

Therefore, when the scanner is viewed diagonally from above and behind, the viewing window 13 and the reading opening 11 are aligned and can be seen through.

Furthermore, since the viewing window 13 is tilted in the opposite direction to the image sensor 25, a small amount of external light that passes through the viewing window 13 and hits the document P is reflected in the opposite direction to the image sensor 25. However, the intended image reflection light is not affected much.

The housing, which forms the external appearance of the scanner, is substantially shielded from light except for the openings of the reading opening 11 and viewing window 13.

Reference numeral 17 designates a rotating member, such as a roller, for smoothly moving the scanner in the sub-scanning direction (rightward in FIG. 1). This roller 17 is formed by recessing the bottom surface of the housing 2 inward to form a roller cover. Furthermore, a detection means is connected to the roller 17, which detects a predetermined amount of movement in the sub-scanning direction when reading a document, and updates the scanning line in synchronization with this fixed amount of movement. This detection means is the roller 17
A transmission member that transmits the rotation of, for example, a gear of -29°3
1, a disk member 35 that rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the roller 17 by means of gears 29 and 31, and a rotation detecting member 37 that detects a constant rotation amount or rotation angle of the disk member 35.

The disk member 35 has a large number of radial pores on its circumferential surface, and is formed by interposing the disk member between a photocoupler or a photoinkractor used as the rotation detecting member 37. As a result, the rotation detecting member 37 outputs a sub-scanning pulse signal every time the disk member 35 rotates by a certain amount.

Furthermore, the detection means constituted by the transmission member such as the gear 29, 31, the disk member 35, and the rotation detection member 37 detects the image reflected light a formed in the housing 2 from the reflection plate 21 to the condenser lens 23. The reflected light a is a region defined by both end portions that do not block the optical path, are outside in the width direction of the reflected light a, and set the length of the reading aperture 11 in the width direction with respect to the sub-scanning direction. It is provided in the inner area in the width direction.

Further, the disk member 35 is provided on the downstream side of the gear 29.31 in the sub-scanning direction and on the inner side in the width direction of the reflected light a. This makes it possible to position the rotation detection member 37 further inward in the width direction of the reflected light a, making it possible to prevent the housing 2 from increasing in size, especially in the width direction.

The control board 27 has a manual operation means, for example, a brightness switch 39 that switches between three levels (dark, standard, and light) on the stepped portion 7 side.
is provided.

The brightness switch 39 is used to adjust the density of a read image processed by an image processing device such as a personal computer and reproduced on a screen such as a CRT of the computer. and 9, and is preferably disposed on either of two side surfaces that are substantially opposite to each other in the main scanning direction. In this embodiment, the brightness switch 39 is arranged on the side surface of the housing extending from the stepped portion 7.

As a result, the brightness switch 39 is provided at a position close to the fingertip when gripping the grip portion 3 of the housing 2, so that the brightness switch 39 can be easily operated.

In particular, the brightness switch 39 can be operated while holding the housing 2, and after adjusting the brightness switch 39,
It is also possible to proceed directly to the image reading operation. In other words, it is possible to simplify the reading operation using a hand scanner.

Furthermore, since the brightness switch is provided on the side surface of the housing 2 constituting the grip part 3, the brightness switch 39 is difficult to come into direct contact with the outside due to the wide protrusion of the image input part 5 in the main scanning direction. It is possible to reduce inconveniences such as breakage due to impact or incorrect adjustment results due to contact with the outside.

Note that the control board 27 (not shown below) has a CC
A circuit is provided to drive D25.

This circuit includes an oscillation circuit, a counter circuit, a CCD output circuit, a flip-flop circuit, and a decoder, and one terminal of the counter circuit becomes high level H when counting of the number of invalid photosensors and no photocells is completed. Further, the other terminal goes to a high level H when the number of valid images is counted after the number of invalid photocells and no photocells has been counted.

In other words, the counter circuit counts, and when the dummy number is counted, the other terminal becomes a low level H, then the effective area needle is counted, and when the count is over, one terminal becomes a high level H. The output is synchronized with the line start signal.

If this output is ANDed with a reset pulse, a sample-and-hold signal, and an image output, it can be output as a counter pulse, a write signal, and an image signal.

The flip-flop circuit and the AND circuit have a function of creating a line start signal using the sub-scanning signal, the transfer gate signal, and the output of the decoder.

〔effect〕

As explained above, according to the optical image reading device of the present invention, the housing has a first portion that is gripped when moving in the sub-scanning direction of the image reading device, and a second portion that is gripped when the housing moves in the main scanning direction. Since the second part has a wide second part and the manual operating means is provided on the side surface of the housing of the second part, the manual operating means can be easily operated when the housing is gripped.

4゜Furthermore, due to the protrusion of the second part, which is wider in the main scanning direction than the first part, external shocks may be applied to the manual operation means, causing it to break, or coming into contact with the outside, causing the adjustment results to be distorted. Problems can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3 are cross-sectional views for explaining one embodiment of the present invention. Explanation of symbols

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A housing having a reading opening formed in the bottom surface along the main scanning direction, a light source provided in the housing that illuminates an image reading portion on both image surfaces to be read, and a light source provided in the housing that illuminates an image reading portion on both image surfaces to be read; a reflecting means provided within the housing for reflecting the image reflected light from the reflecting means; and an image provided within the housing for receiving the image reflected light from the reflecting means and converting the image reflected light into corresponding image data. An optical type comprising a sensor, a means that can be manually operated from outside the housing for adjusting and processing the image data generated by the image sensor, and a rotating member that rotates as the housing moves in the sub-scanning direction. In the image reading device, the housing has a first portion that is gripped when the image reading device moves in the sub-scanning direction, and a second portion that is wider in the main scanning direction than the first portion. The second portion is disposed on the upstream side of the housing in the sub-scanning direction, and the first portion is disposed on the downstream side of the housing, and the first portion of the housing is substantially opposed to each other in the main scanning direction. An optical image reading device characterized in that the manual operation means is arranged on a side surface of the housing.