JPH06197199A - Picture input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a picture input device capable of supplying the various kinds of instructions from the top of a platen glass. CONSTITUTION:This device is provided with plural reflection slits provided outside the picture valid area of the platen glass of a read part, an oscillation means for supplying oscillation signals to the platen glass, a reception means for receiving the oscillation signals from the oscillation means through reflection by the plural reflection slits of the platen glass, a detection means 13 for detecting an instructed area on the platen glass by the oscillation signals received at the reception means and a processing means 23 for performing a prescribed processing inside the area detected by the detection means 13.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image input device capable of efficiently detecting various instructions on a platen glass.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In some image input devices such as copying machines, a touch panel is formed on the upper surface of a platen cover to realize an edit function. In such an apparatus, the platen cover is closed, a document is placed on the platen cover, and the edit function is used. Then, after using the edit function, the document is placed on the platen glass again and image input is executed.

The touch panel of the editor of this type of input device is of the electrostatic capacitance type. Also,
Generally, a resistance film type touch panel is most often used for the operation unit.

The electrostatic capacitance method is a method of detecting a point where a human finger or the like touches the glass surface on which a conductive thin film is deposited, by a weak current flowing from the sensors arranged at the four corners of the glass to the contact points. However, since the capacitance of the human body varies from person to person, there is a problem that correction is necessary.

The resistance film system uses a transparent conductive thin film formed on a glass or polyester film as an electrode and utilizes the voltage drop on the electrode surface for position detection.

In addition to the above, an optical system using position detection that light (infrared rays) between a pair of light emitting / receiving diodes is blocked by a human finger or the like may be used as a touch panel. This method requires a dedicated frame for installing the diode. In addition, since the light passes a few cm above the surface of the touch panel, the input is executed before actually touching the panel, which causes a problem that the operation feels uncomfortable.

[0007]

With the above-described editor, the original is placed on the platen cover to indicate the position and area, and then the platen cover is opened to place the original on the platen glass. And input the image. Therefore, there is a problem that the operation becomes complicated.

Further, it is difficult to make the automatic document feeder (ADF) compatible with the editor. Therefore, when the automatic document feeder is used, it is necessary to separately configure the editor. Therefore, there is a problem that the space efficiency is deteriorated.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to realize an image input device capable of giving various instructions from the platen glass.

[0010]

The first means for solving the above-mentioned problems is characterized in that the platen glass of the reading portion is constituted by a detecting means capable of detecting the instructed position or the pressing force. To do.

A second means for solving the above-mentioned problems is characterized in that the platen glass of the reading portion is constituted by a detecting means capable of detecting the instructed position or pressing force using ultrasonic waves. It is a thing.

A third means for solving the above problems is to provide a plurality of reflecting slits provided outside the image effective area of the platen glass of the reading section, an oscillating means for supplying an oscillating signal to the platen glass, and an oscillating means. Receiving means for receiving an oscillation signal from the means via reflection by a plurality of reflection slits of the platen glass, detecting means for detecting a designated area on the platen glass by the oscillation signal received by the receiving means, and detection of the detecting means It is characterized in that it is provided with a processing means for performing a predetermined processing according to an area designated on the platen glass with reference to the result.

A fourth means for solving the above problems is to provide a plurality of reflecting slits provided outside the image effective area of the platen glass of the reading section, an oscillating means for supplying an oscillating signal to the platen glass, and an oscillating means. Receiving means for receiving an oscillation signal from the means via reflection by a plurality of reflection slits of the platen glass, detecting means for detecting a designated region on the platen glass by the oscillation signal received by the receiving means, and on the platen glass It is characterized in that it is provided with control display means for detecting whether or not a document exists and detecting the detection result by the detection means.

A fifth means for solving the above problems is to provide a plurality of reflecting slits provided outside the image effective area of the platen glass of the reading section, an oscillating means for supplying an oscillating signal to the platen glass, and an oscillating means. Receiving means for receiving an oscillation signal from the means through reflection by a plurality of reflecting slits of the platen glass; detecting means for detecting a portion where the elastic portion of the platen cover or the document feeding means is in contact with the platen glass; And a control unit for detecting the size of the document by referring to the detection result of the detection unit when the document is placed on the glass.

A sixth means for solving the above problems is to provide a plurality of reflecting slits provided outside the image effective area of the platen glass of the reading section, an oscillating means for supplying an oscillating signal to the platen glass, and an oscillating means. Receiving means for receiving an oscillation signal from the means via reflection by a plurality of reflection slits of the platen glass, detecting means for detecting a point on the platen glass by the oscillation signal received by the receiving means, and detection by the detecting means And a control means for switching the operating state with reference to the position of the point or the pressing force.

[0016]

In the first means, since the platen glass is constituted by the detecting means capable of detecting the position or the pressing force as an editor, it is possible to use the editor function with the original placed on the platen glass. become.

In the second means, the detecting means of the editor detects the position or pressing force using ultrasonic waves,
It eliminates the operational problems of conventional editors. In the third means, the detection means detects the designated area on the platen glass, and the inside and outside of the designated area is processed by the processing means.

In the fourth means, the control display means detects whether or not a document is present on the platen glass by using the detection result of the detection means, and displays the detection result. In the fifth means, the control means detects the document size with reference to the detection result of the detection means.

In the sixth means, the control means switches the operation mode of the entire apparatus by the pressing point or the pressing force detected by the detecting means.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of this embodiment. In this figure, the editor unit 10 and the scanner unit 2
0, the image forming unit 30. The outline of the configuration shown in this figure is as follows.

In the editor unit 10, a position instruction is given from the ultrasonic touch panel 11 which functions as a platen glass and also as an image input device. The ultrasonic touch panel 11 is driven by the ultrasonic transmission / reception circuit 12, and the detection circuit 13 detects the position in the XY axis direction and the pressing force in the Z axis direction. The detection result is sent to the CPU 15 via the I / O 14. CPU
15 is R by the control program stored in the ROM 16
The calculation is performed while using the AM 17 as the main memory. This calculation result is PS converted by the PS converter 18 and sent to the image forming unit 30 as editor information. The PS conversion unit 18 performs a process of converting the parallel signal of the editor unit 10 into a serial signal for the main body (PS conversion) or vice versa.

On the other hand, in the scanner section 20, the CCD sensor 21 reads an image and photoelectrically converts it. Then, the A / D converter 22 converts the image information into a digital signal, and the image processing unit 23 performs image processing on this.

Then, the image data and the editor information are collected in the main body control section 31, and the video interface (VI
F) 32 is applied to the laser driver 33, and the laser driver 33 drives the laser diode 35 to form an image. The control of the entire operation is performed based on the instruction given from the operation panel 36.

Here, the ultrasonic touch panel 11 will be described with reference to FIG. This ultrasonic touch panel 11
Is a platen glass 11a having a plurality of reflection slits formed of fired glass powder on four sides, and ultrasonic transducers (X oscillator 11b, X sensor 11c, It is composed of a Y oscillator 11d and a Y sensor 11e).

When an electric signal from the ultrasonic transmission / reception circuit 12 is applied to the X oscillator 11b, ultrasonic vibration is generated and propagates as SAW (surface acoustic wave) on the panel surface of the platen glass 11a. Each time the SAW hits a plurality of reflection slits, it is reflected at a right angle by a fixed ratio (for example, 0.2%),
The light is further reflected by the other plurality of reflection slits across the panel surface at the other end, received by the X sensor 11c, and converted into an electric signal by the ultrasonic transmission / reception circuit 12. As described above, the reflection slit is a SAW that travels in the direction perpendicular to the X axis.
Is reflected in the direction perpendicular to the Y-axis, and the SAW traveling in the direction perpendicular to the Y-axis is reflected at an angle perpendicular to the X-axis. Further, the reflection slit is arranged outside the image effective area (effective image reading area) on the platen glass 11a, that is, outside the area of the maximum original so that all the originals can be detected. This also applies to the ultrasonic transducer.

The transmission and reception waveforms at this time are shown in FIG. Here, A is a transmission pulse, and B is a composite waveform of the pulse reflected by each reflection slit. In addition, the recess b of the waveform B is
This is the place where the panel surface is touched and SAW attenuation occurs. For example, b in FIG. 2 is touched by the elastic body, and the SAW in that portion is attenuated. Here, t is the time when the reflected wave at the shortest distance returns, t0 is the time when the reflected wave at the attenuated point returns, and t1 is the time when the reflected wave at the longest distance returns. It takes XY for both the X-axis and the Y-axis to return the reflected wave at this attenuated point.
The position of the touched portion can be obtained by the Z-axis detection circuit.

The pressing member needs to absorb the SAW at the time of pressing. For example, a finger, rubber, liquid drops, or other soft material is preferable. Preferably, it is a pen-shaped member having a rubber having a hardness of 55 to 80 degrees or a rubber having a hardness of 55 to 80 degrees at its tip. The hardness was measured according to the standard of Asker C-scale [Asker (polymer meter) C-type SRIS (Japan Rubber Association Standard) 0101].

The XYZ axis detection circuit 13 can also find the pressing force in the Z axis direction from the ratio of the amplitude of the waveform B to the amplitude of the depression. As a result of the experiment, when one piece of plain paper (55 kg paper) was placed on the ultrasonic panel 11, it was possible to detect the coordinates with a pressing force of 2 kgf or more for the member of φ10 and hardness 80. .

Further, although the detectability decreases as the diameter of the pressing member decreases, by shortening the length of each slit or narrowing the width between slits and increasing the power of ultrasonic waves, The detectability can be kept constant.

Here, the operation of the apparatus of this embodiment will be described in detail. Ultrasonic panel 11 that doubles as platen glass
When a document is placed on the document and an instruction to read the document is given from the operation panel 36, the main body control unit 31 gives a reading instruction to each unit. As a result, the scanner unit 20
The document information photoelectrically converted by the CCD 21 is converted into digital image data by the A / D converter 22, and this image data is applied to the image processing unit 23. Then, the image processing unit 23 executes various kinds of image processing and then sends the image data to the writing unit as write data.

By the way, as the image processing in the image processing section 23, it may be necessary to designate a part of the area of the document and process only the designated area. In such a case, the end point of the area to be processed is pressed from above the document with an elastic body. As a result, FIG. 2 and FIG.
As shown in, because the SAW is attenuated at the pressing point, XY
The Z-axis detection circuit 13 can detect the coordinates of the pressed point. The coordinate data of the pressed point detected in this way is
It is given to the image processing unit 23 via the CPU 15 and the main body control unit 31. Then, the image processing unit 23 executes the image processing instructed from the operation panel for the designated area based on the coordinate data of the pressed point.

As the image processing of the designated area, black-and-white inversion processing for inverting black and white of a black-and-white image, half-tone processing for half-tone dot meshing, trimming processing for outputting an image of only the designated area, and image of the designated area There are masking processing for deletion, density conversion processing for changing density, partial color conversion processing for changing colors during multicolor copying, enlargement / reduction processing for enlargement / reduction, image shift for shifting the output position of an image, and the like.

In practice, the processing area is designated on the ultrasonic panel 11 with the original surface facing upward, and the original surface is directed downward during image reading. In this case, C
The PU 15 or the main body control unit 31 performs coordinate conversion according to the direction in which the document is inverted and then supplies the coordinate data of the pressed point to the image processing unit 23.

Since the SAW propagation speed changes due to the temperature change, t, t0 and t1 shown in FIG. 3 also change.
This makes it difficult to accurately detect the coordinates of the pressed point. However, the relative position of the concave portion b in the received waveform B does not change. Therefore, it is possible to perform accurate detection by preparing a plurality of pulses having different duty ratios at a constant rate in the period of t1 and matching the pulse with the recess of the received pulse. That is, the data [count number / resolution] is obtained by counting the number of pulses until the trailing edge of the pulse having a different duty coincides with the recess of the received pulse.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing this state. Here, t1 -t is divided into four equal parts, and four types of pulses whose duty ratios are sequentially shifted are prepared. Then, the coincidence between the trailing edge of each pulse and the concave portion b of the waveform B is detected. As can be seen from FIG. 4, the trailing edge of the third pulse coincides with the recess b. Therefore, it can be seen that the 3/4 position as viewed from the oscillator side was pressed. In this example, the position of the pressed point is detected in units of 1/4, but if it is desired to detect the position of the pressed point more finely, the number of equal parts may be increased according to the fineness. .

The pressing force (data in the Z-axis direction) can be detected by the XYZ detection circuit 13 by the depression of the received pulse. For this purpose, a plurality of threshold levels are prepared and data in the Z-axis direction is obtained from the crossed threshold levels. The pressing force on the Z axis should not be detected when the hand is lightly touched. Further, when it is detected that the designation is made by the pressing force, it is possible to make a display by sound or light and inform the user so that the designation mistake can be eliminated.

As described above, by using the ultrasonic panel 11 as the platen glass and realizing the editor function by detecting the pressed point, an image input device excellent in resolution, durability, detectability and ease of use is provided. Can be realized.

Furthermore, in the case of the resistance film type, since the spacer for keeping the contact apart when not pressed is used, the resolution of position detection is limited, but the present invention does not have such a limitation. .

Further, since the platen glass itself is used for the position designation, the portion used every time the region is designated,
The durability is improved without requiring a special device such as a resistance film type contact or a capacitance type conductive thin film.

Furthermore, the Z-axis direction (depth, that is, the pressing magnitude direction) can be detected, malfunctions can be prevented, and processing can be performed according to the pressing force, so the detectability is improved. Also, an area can be designated by placing a document on the platen glass. AD
If there is F, this ease of use is further increased.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the second embodiment.
In this embodiment, a document size is detected using an ultrasonic touch panel. In the example shown in FIG.
The elastic material 25 is formed on the entire surface of the platen cover 24 on the side of the original contact surface.
Is attached. As a result, the original 40 is difficult to absorb the SAW, but the elastic material 25 easily absorbs the SAW, so that the position of the end of the original can be detected. This makes it possible to detect the size of the document 40. In the conventional image input device, the document size is optically detected by performing the prescan, but in this embodiment, the document size can be detected only by placing the platen cover, and the prescan becomes unnecessary.

The waveform of the ultrasonic reception pulse at this time is shown in FIG.
Shown in. The portion b in FIG. 6 in which the amplitude of the received pulse is lowered is due to the attenuation of the SAW by the elastic body 25. Therefore, the document size can be detected by the CPU 15 or the main body control unit 31 based on the ratio of a to b. In this case, a plurality of threshold levels (A, B, C) are prepared and the point where the received pulse crosses the threshold level is examined. Here, and correspond to the end of the ultrasonic touch panel 11, and the coordinates in the middle between and correspond to the end of the document.

Further, by performing such detection, it is possible to detect whether or not the original document exists on the platen glass. That is, when the automatic document feeding is started, the main body control unit 31 detects the waveform of the ultrasonic wave reception pulse, so that the presence of the document on the platen glass can be confirmed.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing another example of the structure of the platen cover 24 suitable for detecting the document size. In this figure, elastic bodies 25a to 25e are linear elastic bodies. And various sizes (B5R, A4, A4R, B
The elastic bodies are attached to the platen cover 24 at positions slightly larger than the sheets of A4 and A3). If the document 40 shown in FIG. 7 is of B4 size, the elastic body 25d on the outside thereof absorbs the SAW by coming into contact with the platen glass 11a. In this case, the contact pressure to the platen glass 11a becomes higher than that of the full-face type elastic body 25 shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a waveform diagram showing a waveform of an ultrasonic reception pulse when a document is placed obliquely. This is because the end portion of the document is inclined, and the location where the elastic body 25 is in contact with the ultrasonic touch panel 11 is not parallel to the SAW traveling direction. To detect such a state, a plurality of threshold levels (A,
It is possible to cope with the situation by preparing B) and obtaining the distances (a to b, c to d) between the coordinates reaching the threshold level by the main body control unit 31. Further, the main controller 31 also detects the distance from the maximum value of the received pulse to the minimum value (or the number of points in contact with the linear elastic body) to detect the oblique state of the document. be able to. In this way, the main body control unit 31 that detects that the document is placed diagonally causes the display unit in the operation panel 36 to display a predetermined warning. Here, the case of the document size using the elastic body of the platen cover has been described, but the elastic portion of the document feeding means (for example, AD
The original size can be similarly detected by using the elastic portion of the F belt.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a case where an operation panel is formed on a part of the ultrasonic touch panel. In this case, the ultrasonic touch panel is enlarged in advance, and the operation panel 36 that can be used as an operation switch is formed at the end. In this case, the XYZ axis detection circuit 13 detects that the predetermined position of the platen glass is touched by the operator. And
The main body control unit 31 refers to the detection result of the XYZ axis detection circuit 13 to switch between various operation modes related to image input for control. That is, when the operator touches a predetermined position on the platen glass, the same operation as a conventional switch operation is performed.

The main body control unit 31 can also control the operation by referring to the pressing force (Z-axis direction data) when any switch of the operation panel 36 is pressed. For example, when inputting the magnification data, the change amount (Δ% / sec) of the magnification data is changed according to the magnitude of the pressing force.

In the past, since the amount of change in magnification increased with the pressing time, it changed slowly at first, but the amount of change increased after a fixed time, making it difficult to select desired data. On the other hand, if the amount of data change is changed according to the magnitude of the pressing force, the operator can reduce the pressing force near the desired data to reduce the amount of data change. Selection becomes extremely easy. It should be noted that this operation mode can be used to input not only the magnification data but also various data.

As described in detail above, by using the ultrasonic touch panel on the platen glass, it is possible to construct an image input device with extremely excellent operability. still,
In the above description, an example of adoption for a digital machine is shown, but it can also be used for an analog machine. For example, by disposing a multi-chip LED as an erasing LED on the drum surface, masking / trimming can be easily performed by turning the LED on / off.

[0050]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, a plurality of reflecting slits and ultrasonic transducers are provided at the end of the platen glass, and the surface acoustic wave is propagated in the X-axis and Y-axis directions. Since the position of the pressed point is detected by using the absorption of the surface acoustic wave, it becomes possible to easily specify the point by the editor when inputting the image.

Further, it becomes easy to detect the placed state of the document based on the degree of absorption of the surface acoustic wave, and the document feeding operation can be switched. Furthermore, by detecting the pressing of a predetermined position on the platen glass, the platen glass can be used as an operation switch to switch the operation mode of the image input device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an overall configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a waveform diagram for explaining the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a waveform diagram for explaining the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a waveform diagram for explaining the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a waveform diagram for explaining the operation of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Editor Section 11 Ultrasonic Panel 12 Ultrasonic Transceiver Circuit 13 XYZ Axis Detection Circuit 20 Scanner Section 30 Image Forming Section

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An image input device comprising a platen glass of a reading unit, which comprises a detection means capable of detecting a designated position or a pressing force. 2. An image input device, wherein the platen glass of the reading unit is constituted by a detection means capable of detecting a designated position or pressing force using ultrasonic waves. 3. A plurality of reflection slits provided outside the image effective area of the platen glass of the reading section, an oscillating means for supplying an oscillating signal to the platen glass, and an oscillating signal from the oscillating means for the plurality of platen glass. Receiving means that receives through the reflection of the reflection slit, detecting means that detects the designated area on the platen glass by the oscillation signal received by the receiving means, and indicates on the platen glass by referring to the detection result of the detecting means. An image input device, comprising: a processing unit that performs a predetermined process according to the created area. 4. A plurality of reflecting slits provided outside the image effective area of the platen glass of the reading section, an oscillating means for supplying an oscillating signal to the platen glass, and an oscillating signal from the oscillating means for the plurality of platen glass. Receiving means that receives through the reflection of the reflection slit of the, detecting means that detects the designated area on the platen glass by the oscillation signal received by the receiving means, and the detecting means that detects whether there is a document on the platen glass An image input device comprising: a control display unit that detects the result and displays the detection result. 5. A plurality of reflecting slits provided outside the image effective area of the platen glass of the reading section, an oscillating means for supplying an oscillating signal to the platen glass, and an oscillating signal from the oscillating means for the plurality of platen glass. Of the platen cover or the original feeding unit that detects the elastic part of the document feeding unit that contacts the platen glass, and the document placed on the platen glass. An image input device, comprising: a control unit that detects a document size by referring to a detection result of the detection unit. 6. A plurality of reflecting slits provided outside the image effective area of the platen glass of the reading unit, an oscillating means for supplying an oscillating signal to the platen glass, and an oscillating signal from the oscillating means for the plurality of platen glass. Refer to the receiving means that receives through the reflection of the reflection slit of the device, the detecting means that detects the point indicated on the platen glass by the oscillation signal received by the receiving means, and the position or pressing force of the point detected by the detecting means. And an image input device including a control unit for switching the operating state.