JPH10304143A - Image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain the image reader having a display function that displays a read image by allowing the reader to be provided with a light source that emits a light onto an original, a light receiving element that receives a reflected light from the original and converts it into an electric signal, and a display device that displays the image based on the electric signal including image data obtained by the light receiving element. SOLUTION: The reader is placed on an original 12 and moved in a prescribed direction. Then information of an image of the original for each scanning line is read by a central processing unit(CPU) 26 acting line a controller and an arithmetic unit via an optical system including a lens 28 and a photoelectric conversion element (light receiving element) 30 such as a CCD 30a or a photo transistor array 30b. The read information is stored in a storage device 27 and displayed on a display device 20. Or the display device 20 may be configured as a touch panel 20a. Through the constitution above, the image reader that obtains other kind of information through the use of the display function from the read image is obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus (scanner), and more particularly to a portable small image reading apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a system using a conventional portable image (original) reading apparatus. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the image reading apparatus 10 is placed on a document 12, and reads an image (information) of the document 12 by manually moving the document so as to cut through the document as indicated by an arrow A.
Reading by the image reading device 10 is performed by irradiating a document with light from a light source and converting the reflected light into an electric signal by a light / electric conversion element (for example, a CCD) via an optical system. The electric signal including the image information is read into an arithmetic processing unit (for example, a personal computer) 14 including all or a part of an input device 16 such as a keyboard, a display device 18 such as a display, and a printing device 19 as peripheral devices. Processing is performed in the arithmetic processing unit 14 according to the purpose.

[0003]

The conventional portable image reading apparatus does not have a display function even if the apparatus itself does not have a display function. For this reason, the read image is not displayed on the image reading device, and the read image cannot be seen without the help of another device, for example, the display 18 connected to the arithmetic processing device 14.
For example, if you are worried that the object you are reading is properly captured, in focus, the brightness is appropriate, there is no distortion, etc., project it on the display or check if you do not print it could not. In addition, it was not possible to directly measure dimensions or the like that the user wanted to know from the read image.

In some image reading apparatuses, a transparent or translucent window is provided, and reading is performed through the window to check the original. This window is used to confirm the approximate position of the original being read. It does not indicate the exact position or the read content.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image reading apparatus having a display function of displaying a read image.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image reading apparatus capable of obtaining other information from a read image using a display function.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides an image reading apparatus for reading image information of an original by moving on the original. An image reading device, comprising: a light receiving element that receives reflected light of the light and converts the light into an electric signal; and a display device that displays an image based on an electric signal including image data obtained by the light receiving element. Is adopted.

According to the present invention, in the above image reading apparatus,
The present invention employs an image reading device further including a pointing device and a switch for performing processing on an image displayed on the display device.

[0009]

Next, an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a state in which a document is read by the image reading apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an external view of the image reading apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the image reading apparatus. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of the internal configuration of the image reading apparatus, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another example of the internal configuration of the image reading apparatus, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating an example of a display screen of a display device provided in the device, FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating an example of obtaining other information from a displayed image, and FIG. FIG. 14 is a plan view for supplementarily explaining an example for obtaining other information from a displayed image.

First, reference is made to FIGS. The image reading device 10 of the present invention includes a display device (display) 20,
For example, a pointing device 22 (22a, 22b, 22c, 22d) such as a joystick and a switch 24 such as a click switch or a button (power ON / OFF button) are provided at the upper part. As shown in FIG. 1, the image is placed on the document 12 and moved in the direction of arrow A so that the information for each line of the document can be stored in the optical system including the lens 28, the CCD 30a or the phototransistor array 30b. Light / electric conversion element (light receiving element) 30
Functioning as control device and arithmetic device through CPU
(Central Processing Unit) 26
And is displayed on the display device 20. The display device 20 may be configured as a touch panel 20a.

Next, an example of the internal configuration of the image reading apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. A glass window 34 is provided in a lower portion of the housing 50 so as to be in close contact with the document. A light source 32 that emits light toward the glass window 34
Is disposed adjacent to the glass window, and light emitted from the light source 32 strikes the document 12 through the glass window 34 and is reflected.

As indicated by the arrow, the mirror 36a receives the reflected light first, and the pair of mirrors 36b and 36c are arranged so as to repeat the reflection many times. The last reflected light passes through a lens 28, is input to a light receiving element 30 such as a CCD 30a, and is converted into an electric signal corresponding to an image. The obtained electric signal is input to the CPU 26 arranged on the printed circuit board 38 and processed by the CPU 26. As one of the processes, image data is sent from the CPU 26 to the display device 20 stored in the storage device or disposed on the upper portion of the housing 50 and displayed. The electric signal including the image data is sent to a personal computer (not shown) as in the conventional example.

An opening 52 is provided in a lower portion of the housing 50, and a roller 40 is disposed above the opening. The roller 40 passes the original 1 through the opening 52.
2, when the image reading device 10 is moved
It is designed to rotate. Therefore, the movement amount corresponds to the rotation angle of the roller 40. A roller 42a having a number of slits formed in a circumferential direction so as to rotate in conjunction with the roller 40 is provided.
The photo-interrupter 42b is disposed so as to detect the passage of the slit. The roller 42a and the photo interrupter 42b constitute a rotary encoder, and thus output an electric signal corresponding to the amount of movement of the image reading device 10 with respect to the document 12. This electrical signal is sent to the CPU
26, and used for processing in the CPU 26.

In this example of the internal configuration, a reduction optical system is used, and the reflected light is reflected many times by a mirror to increase the optical path length and increase the depth of focus. Therefore, a good image can be obtained even if the glass window 34 is not necessarily brought into close contact with the document.

Next, another example of the internal configuration of the image reading apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. Since the configuration other than the optical system and the light receiving element is the same as that of FIG. 4, only the optical system and the light receiving element will be described, and the description of the other configuration will be omitted.

In this example, a contact sensor is used, and the lens 28 is of approximately the same size.
As b, a phototransistor array is used. In this example, unlike the above-mentioned example, since no mirror is used, the device itself can be miniaturized, but since many light receiving elements are required,
If the cost is high and the document is not used in close contact with the document, a good image cannot be obtained. Either configuration may be used, but which configuration is adopted depends on advantages and disadvantages and is selected as necessary.

Next, the display device 2 of the image reading apparatus of the present invention.
The display by 0 will be described. FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating an example of a display by the display device. The display device 20 may be configured as the touch panel 20a as described above. In addition to the image 20e being displayed on the display screen 20b, for example,
A message display 20c or a status display 20d may be displayed. These displays may be displayed on a display screen outside the image display, or may be displayed on another display device (not shown) provided separately.

In the message display, "light quantity is insufficient", "too fast" (when reading movement is too fast), "failure"
Is displayed. Here, "insufficient light"
For example, a CCD 30a or a phototransistor array 30
The light quantity input to b is measured, and is displayed when the light quantity is equal to or less than a certain value. "Too fast" means, for example, that the moving speed is calculated from the moving amount of the image reading device detected by the rotary encoder 42 and is displayed when the moving speed is equal to or more than a certain speed (more than the processing time in the CPU 26). Is done. “Failure” is displayed when a failure of the image reading device is detected.

In the status display, "READ"
Status such as “Y” (readable) and “SCANNING” (during reading) are displayed. For example, "READY"
Displayed after the power of the image reading device is turned on, after a lapse of time when the CPU 26 becomes operable, and when the personal computer or the image storage device 27 to which the image data is sent can receive the image data. . In addition, "SCANNI
“NG” is displayed when the rotary encoder detects the movement of the image reading device after entering the “READY” state.

Next, from the image read by the image reading apparatus, other information (distance between two points on the image, angle of the straight line on the image with respect to the vertical or horizontal axis, angle formed by two straight lines on the image, image (Calculation of the area of a certain region above) by calculation will be described. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the display of the read image on the screen.

First, an image (for example, a map) is read, stored in a memory, and simultaneously displayed on a screen. next,
The information to be obtained is selected by operating the click switch. For example, a single click or double-click on the click switch 24a or 24b selects, for example, a distance. Next, the cursor on the screen is moved by the pointing device 22 (22a to 22d), and the click switches 24a and 24d are moved.
b, the two points on the screen (P
1, P2). The distance between the two designated points is calculated, and the distance is displayed. The calculation of the distance can be performed as follows. Let the coordinates of P1 be (x1, y
1) When the coordinates of P2 (x2, y2), the distance D is D = √ {(x1-x2 ) 2 + (y1-y2) 2}.

When the distance is obtained, if two points cannot be included in one screen at the same time due to insufficient screen size, one point (for example, P1) is designated first as shown in FIG. Next, another one point (for example, P2) is designated by scrolling. In addition, the scroll is performed by a button 22 b provided with the arrow right direction of the pointing device 22.
This is done by using The description of the other calculations will be omitted.

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention,
An image reading device having a display function of displaying a read image is obtained. Further, an image reading apparatus that can obtain other information from a read image using a display function is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a state in which a document is read by an image reading apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view of an image reading apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the image reading apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of an internal configuration of the image reading device.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing another example of the internal configuration of the image reading apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an example of a display screen of a display device provided in the image reading device.

FIG. 7 is a plan view for explaining an example for obtaining other information from a displayed image.

FIG. 8 is a plan view for supplementarily explaining an example for obtaining other information from a displayed image.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a system using a conventional portable image (document) reading device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image reading apparatus 12 Document 20 Display device 22 Pointing device 24 Switch 26 CPU 27 Memory 28 Lens 30 Light receiving element 40 Roller 42 Rotary encoder 32 Light source

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An image reading apparatus for reading image information of a document by moving over the document, comprising: a light source for irradiating the document with light; a light receiving element for receiving reflected light from the document and converting the reflected light into an electric signal; A display device for displaying an image based on an electric signal including image data obtained by the light receiving element. 2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
An image reading apparatus further comprising: a roller that contacts a document and rotates in accordance with movement of the document; and a rotary encoder that detects a rotation angle of the roller. 3. The image reading device according to claim 1, wherein
The optical system further includes an optical system disposed between the original document and the light receiving element so that light reflected from the original is incident on the light receiving element, and the optical system is a reduction optical system or an equal-magnification optical system. An image reading apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 4. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display device displays a message, a status, or both of them in addition to the image. Reader. 5. The image reading device according to claim 1, further comprising a pointing device and a switch for performing processing on an image displayed on the display device. Image reading device. 6. The image reading device according to claim 5, wherein
An image reading apparatus for displaying a result of processing performed on an image.