JPH05130326A - Image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the reading accuracy of a cubic matter without deteriorating the reading performance of a plant original by varying the focal depth without moving a lens or a mirror which controls relatively the aperture value of the lens and the light quantity of an illumination lamp so as to stop down the lens aperture. CONSTITUTION:The existence of a copy of a cubic matter 12 is judged and then a cubic matter mode button is depressed for selection of a cubic matter read mode. Then a lens aperture motor 32 is driven via a lens aperture driver 33 with a command given from a controller 35. Thus a lens aperture 31 is stopped down. At the same time, the set value of a lens regulator 34 is changed by a degree equivalent to the aperture 31 and the lamp output is increased. When a start button is depressed under such condition, the reading operation of the matter 12 is started.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image reading device such as a color scanner or a digital copying machine, and more particularly to an image reading device capable of reading a three-dimensional object.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, due to the spread of color copiers, not only documents and books but also wristwatches, precious metals, and printed circuit boards on which parts are mounted have different heights in the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction. A copy of (three-dimensional object) has come to be desired.

A technique for detecting the distance between the reading image forming system and the object (original) and controlling the distance between the reading image forming system and the object is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-130360. Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 58-130361, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-1
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 29868, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 64-54460, and the like. A technique for setting the optimum image forming position above the original table is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 61-195154.

[0004]

However, among the above-mentioned conventional techniques, JP-A-58-130360, JP-A-58-130361, and JP-A-62-129868.
The technique disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Sho 64-54460 has a problem that it can be applied only when the object has the same height in the main scanning direction like a book.

In addition, among the above-mentioned prior arts, the utility model Sho 61-1
In the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 95154, the optimum image forming position is fixed above the platen. However, in order to set the image forming position above the platen, it is shown in the explanatory view of FIG. As described above, there is a method of moving the combination of the lens and the solid-state image sensor (CCD) to the original side, and a method of bringing the second and third mirrors relatively close to the lens side as shown in FIG.

However, the method of moving the lens and the mirror has the following problems. First, the lens and CC
A method of moving the combination of D will be described. In FIG. 6, 10 is a document table, 11 is a normal document (flat document), 12 is a three-dimensional object, 13 is an illumination lamp, 14 is a first mirror, 15 is a first scanner, 16 is a second mirror, and 17 is a second mirror. 3 mirrors, 18 is the second scanna, 19 is a lens, 20
Is a solid-state image sensor, and 21 is a scan motor. With such a configuration, when the lens 19 and the solid-state imaging device 20 are copied to the three-dimensional object 12, the three-dimensional object 12 is moved by moving in the direction of the arrow a.
Is imaged on the solid-state image sensor 20, and then returned to the normal position. In this case, due to rattling of the lens guide, the reading line b deviates from the main scanning reference line c as shown in FIG. 7, or the image forming position d after lens movement is at the original position as shown in FIG. There was a problem that the image came off the table 10 and became a blurred image or a one-sided blurred image.

Further, the method of moving the second and third mirrors also has the following problems. The configuration of each part of the image reading apparatus shown in FIG. 9 is the same as that shown in FIG.
In this case, when reading the three-dimensional object 12, a mechanism as shown in FIG. 10 is adopted to move the second scanner 18 in the direction of the arrow e. In order to move the second scanner 18, the mirror moving pulley 22 is moved by the scanner motor 21 to move the first scanner 15 and the second scanner 18.
However, in this configuration, an impact force is applied to the first scanner 15 and the second scanner 18 at the start of scanning and at the time of returning, and the optical path length from the lens 19 to the document table 10 is changed, so that a blurred image is likely to be formed. There was a drawback.

The present invention has been made based on such a background, and is premised on a system of fixing a lens and a mirror,
An object of the present invention is to provide an image reading device capable of accurately reading a three-dimensional object without deteriorating the reading performance of a flat original.

[0009]

The above object has a three-dimensional object reading mode in which a three-dimensional object on a document table is illuminated by an illumination lamp, the reflected light is read through a lens, and an image is formed on a solid-state image sensor. In an image reading apparatus, a lens diaphragm that can adjust the amount of light incident from the lens, a lens diaphragm driving unit that changes the diameter of the lens diaphragm to control the incident light amount, and an illumination lamp that controls the light amount of the illumination lamp. Main control for relatively controlling the aperture amount of the lens aperture and the light amount of the illumination lamp via the lens aperture drive device and the illumination lamp control device when the three-dimensional object reading mode is selected. And a first means comprising means.

In this case, it is preferable that the main control means is set so as to control the lens diaphragm drive means and the illumination lamp control means according to the distance of the three-dimensional object.

Further, the above object is to provide an image reading apparatus having a three-dimensional object reading mode in which a three-dimensional object on a document table is illuminated by an illumination lamp, the reflected light is read through a lens, and an image is formed on a solid-state image sensor. A lens diaphragm capable of adjusting the quantity of light incident from the lens, a lens diaphragm driving means for changing the diameter of the lens diaphragm to control the quantity of incident light, a solid-state image sensor driver having a variable pixel frequency, and sub-scanning A scanner motor having a variable reading speed, a scanner motor driver for driving the scanner motor, and a lens diaphragm through the lens diaphragm drive means, the solid-state imaging device driver, and the scanner motor driver when the three-dimensional object reading mode is selected. It is also achieved by the second means which comprises a main control means for controlling so that

In this case, it is preferable that the main control means is set so as to control the lens diaphragm driving means, the solid-state image pickup device driver, and the scanner motor driver according to the distance of the three-dimensional object.

[0013]

In the first means, the main control means controls the lens diaphragm drive means and the illumination lamp control means relative to each other so that the lens diaphragm is narrowed down and the depth of focus becomes deeper when the three-dimensional object reading mode is selected. As a result, both the front side and the rear side of the three-dimensional object can be placed within the depth of focus, and the entire three-dimensional object can be focused during image formation. In this case, the depth of focus is set according to the distance to the three-dimensional object.

Also in the second means, the main control means controls the lens diaphragm driving means, the solid-state image sensor driver and the scanner motor driver so that the lens diaphragm is narrowed down when the three-dimensional object reading mode is selected. As a result, similarly to the first means, both the front side and the rear side of the three-dimensional object can be placed within the depth of focus, and the entire three-dimensional object can be focused during image formation. Again,
The depth of focus is set according to the distance to the three-dimensional object.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the same reference numerals are given to the same or similar parts as those of the conventional example. FIG. 2 is a simplified plan view showing the operation unit of the copying machine. Start button 1 for normal manuscripts
Press to start the reading operation. When reading a three-dimensional object, the three-dimensional object mode button 2 is pressed to enter the three-dimensional object reading mode. After entering the three-dimensional object reading mode, the reading operation is started by inputting the reading height and then pressing the start button 1.

FIG. 1 is a control conceptual diagram of the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment. In the figure, in addition to the units described above, 31 is a lens diaphragm, 32 is a lens diaphragm motor for driving the lens diaphragm 31, 33 is a lens diaphragm driver, and 34 is a lens diaphragm driver.
Is a lamp regulator, and 35 is a controller.

When reading the document 11, the image of the document 11 on the document table 10 is illuminated by the illumination lamp 13,
The reflected light passes through the first mirror 14, the second mirror 16, the third mirror 17, and the lens 19 and is focused on the solid-state image sensor 20. The illumination lamp 13 and the first mirror 14 form a first scanner 15, and the second mirror 16 and the third mirror 17 form a second scanner 18.

When reading an image, the scan motor 2
By driving 1, the first scanner 15 and the second scanner 18 scan in the sub-scanning direction at a speed of 1: 1/2, respectively. At this time, the lens diaphragm 31 is in the most open state, and the illumination lamp 13 is in the optimum condition in this state.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the control contents according to the first embodiment. First, it is determined whether the copy is the three-dimensional object 12, and if it is the copy of the three-dimensional object 12 (Y in S1), the three-dimensional object mode button 2 is pressed to select the three-dimensional object reading mode (S2). When the three-dimensional object reading mode is selected, the controller 35 commands the lens diaphragm motor 32 to drive the lens diaphragm motor 32 to diaphragm the lens diaphragm 31 (S3). At the same time, the set value of the lamp regulator 34 is changed by an amount corresponding to the lens diaphragm 31, and the lamp output is increased (S4).
In this state, press the start button 1 (S
5) The reading operation of the three-dimensional object 12 is started (S
6).

FIG. 4 is a control conceptual diagram of the image reading apparatus according to the second embodiment. 36 is a solid-state image sensor driver in which the pixel frequency of the solid-state image sensor 20 is variable, and 37 is a scanner for driving the scanner motor 21. It is a motor driver.
The operation of reading the original 11 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

The operation in the three-dimensional object reading mode in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.
In steps S11 to S13, the same operations as steps S1 to S3 shown in FIG. 3 are performed. Here, at the same time when the lens diaphragm 31 is stopped down, the controller 35 causes the solid-state imaging device 2 to be driven by the controller 35 via the solid-state imaging device driver 36.
The pixel frequency of 0 is changed (S14). At the same time, the first
The reading speed of the scanner 15 is changed by controlling the scanner motor 21 via the scanner motor driver 37 (S15).

For example, when reading a normal document, lens aperture: F / 4, pixel frequency: 15 MHz, scanning speed:
When 180 mm / s, in the three-dimensional object reading mode, F / 5.6, 7.5 MHz, and 90 mm / s, respectively.

When the start button 1 is pressed in this state (S16), the reading operation of the three-dimensional object 12 is started (S17).

As described above, when the reading is performed without moving the lens or the mirror, it is not necessary to move the lens or mirror, so that any inconvenience caused by this movement is eliminated.

[0025]

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention configured as described above has the following effects.

That is, in an image reading apparatus having a three-dimensional object reading mode in which a three-dimensional object on a platen is illuminated by an illumination lamp, the reflected light is read through a lens, and an image is formed on a solid-state image pickup device, the lens is A lens diaphragm capable of adjusting the amount of incident light, and a lens diaphragm driving means for changing the aperture of the lens diaphragm to control the amount of incident light,
The illumination lamp control means for controlling the light amount of the illumination lamp, and the lens aperture driving amount and the illumination lamp control means when the three-dimensional object reading mode is selected so that the lens aperture is narrowed down and the illumination lamp. According to the invention as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a main control means for relatively controlling the light amount of the above, by changing the depth of focus without moving the lens, the mirror or the like, without deteriorating the reading performance of the plane original. It is possible to improve the reading accuracy of the three-dimensional object.

According to the invention of claim 2, the main control means sets the lens diaphragm drive means and the illumination lamp control means in accordance with the distance of the three-dimensional object. It is executed by controlling the lens diaphragm drive means and the illumination lamp control means by the control means,
It is possible to easily improve the reading accuracy of the three-dimensional object without moving the lens or the mirror.

Illuminate a three-dimensional object on the platen with an illumination lamp,
In an image reading apparatus having a three-dimensional object reading mode in which the reflected light is read through a lens to form an image on a solid-state image sensor, a lens diaphragm capable of adjusting the amount of light incident from the lens and a diameter of the lens diaphragm are changed. A lens diaphragm drive means for controlling the amount of incident light, a solid-state imaging device driver with a variable pixel frequency, a scanner motor with a variable reading speed in the sub-scanning direction, and a scanner motor driver for driving this scanner motor, 4. The invention according to claim 3, further comprising: main control means for controlling the lens diaphragm to be narrowed through the lens diaphragm driving means, the solid-state imaging device driver and the scanner motor driver when the three-dimensional object reading mode is selected. For example, the depth of focus is increased by narrowing the lens diaphragm, and the same effect as the invention according to claim 1 is obtained. Unlikely to.

The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the main control means is set to control the lens diaphragm drive means, the solid-state image pickup device driver and the scanner motor driver in accordance with the distance of the three-dimensional object. Since the focusing of the lens is controlled according to the distance to the three-dimensional object, the same effect as the invention according to claim 1 can be obtained by narrowing the lens so as to be surely positioned within the depth of focus.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a control conceptual diagram of an image reading apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an operation unit of the copying machine according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of control contents in a three-dimensional object reading mode in the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a control conceptual diagram of an image reading apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of control contents in a three-dimensional object reading mode in the image reading apparatus according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of an image reading apparatus showing a first mechanism for setting an image forming position above a document table.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a defect of the reading method of the image reading apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a defect of the reading method of the image reading apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of an image reading apparatus showing a second mechanism for setting an image forming position above a document table.

10 is a perspective view showing a drive system of a second scanner in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Start Button 2 3D Object Mode Button 10 Original Plate 11 Original 12 Solid Object 13 Illumination Lamp 15 1st Scanana 18 2nd Scanana 19 Lens 20 Solid-state Image Sensor 21 Scanyan Motor 31 Lens Aperture 32 Lens Aperture Motor (Lens Aperture Driving Means) 33 Lens Aperture driver (lens aperture drive means) 34 Lamp regulator (illumination lamp control means) 35 Controller (main control means) 36 Solid-state image sensor driver 37 Scania motor driver

Front page continuation (72) Inventor Minoru Sugiyama 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An image reading apparatus having a three-dimensional object reading mode in which a three-dimensional object on a platen is illuminated by an illumination lamp, the reflected light is read through a lens, and an image is formed on a solid-state image sensor. A lens diaphragm that can adjust the amount of incident light, a lens diaphragm driving unit that controls the amount of incident light by changing the aperture of the lens diaphragm, an illumination lamp control unit that controls the amount of light of the illumination lamp, and a three-dimensional object reading mode. At the time of selection, there is provided main control means for relatively controlling the diaphragm amount of the lens diaphragm and the light quantity of the illumination lamp so that the lens diaphragm is narrowed through the lens diaphragm driving means and the illumination lamp control means. Characteristic image reading device. 2. The main control unit according to claim 1, wherein the main control unit is set to control the lens diaphragm drive unit and the illumination lamp control unit according to a distance of a three-dimensional object. Image reading device. 3. An image reading apparatus having a three-dimensional object reading mode in which a three-dimensional object on a platen is illuminated by an illumination lamp, the reflected light is read through a lens, and an image is formed on a solid-state image sensor. A lens diaphragm that can adjust the amount of incident light, a lens diaphragm drive unit that controls the incident light amount by changing the aperture of this lens diaphragm, a solid-state image sensor driver with a variable pixel frequency, and a reading speed in the sub-scanning direction , A scanner motor that drives the scanner motor, and a lens aperture that is narrowed down via the lens aperture drive means, the solid-state image sensor driver, and the scanner motor driver when the three-dimensional object reading mode is selected. An image reading apparatus comprising: 4. The main control unit according to claim 3, wherein the main control unit is set to control the lens diaphragm drive unit, the solid-state image sensor driver, and the scanner motor driver according to a distance of a three-dimensional object. An image reading device characterized in that