JPS60123158A - Picture reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain miniaturization and low cost of an optical system by using four rows of CCD sensors on one chip having the sensitivity to red, green, blue and visual light regions respectively and changing over the outputs in reading a black-and-white and a color original. CONSTITUTION:The four rows of CCD sensors for red (R), green (G), blue (B) and visual entire light region (W) consisting each of N sets of elements are arranged on one chip. Filters RF, GF and BF passing each band are arranged on the elements respectively. The outputs of the R, G, B and the W output are fetched selectively in response to a signal of changeover indication outputted in response to the color original and the black-and-white original at read of the original. Thus, no rotary filter is required, the optical system is miniaturized and the reading of the color original and the black-and-white original is attained efficiently.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field The present invention relates to an image reading device, that is, an image scanner, which efficiently reads black and white originals as well as color originals.

Prior Art> In recent years, as color printers, color graphics, CRTs, and other color information output devices have become colorized, document reading devices are not limited to conventional black and white reading devices.
Color information reading devices are also becoming popular.

Color information also started from the separation of red and black, progressed to the separation of red, blue, and black, and became more sophisticated as the separation of the three primary colors of light, blue, green, and red, led to the equipment itself becoming more sophisticated. They have become more complex and larger.

For example, in a conventional color facsimile image reading device, the configuration is as shown in FIG. 7. In FIG. The reading surface is illuminated by an illumination lamp (light source) 4 placed diagonally below the document surface. The light source from the illumination lamp 4 is reflected downward on the document surface and reflected by the first reflection mirror 5 and the second reflection mirror 6, and this reflected light is transmitted to one photoelectric element (CCD).
) 7. In this case, a rotary color filter 8 is disposed between the second reflective mirror 6 and the photoelectric element 7 to separate colors, and a rotary color filter 8 is disposed after the rotary color filter 8 and the filter 8. The reflected light is collected by the photoelectric element 7 through the condensing lens 9, and the output of the photoelectric element 7 is processed and transmitted to an output device (receiving side).

The rotary color filter 8 has a structure in which an R filter, a G filter, and a B filter are arranged in order in an annular shape along the periphery of a disk. This rotating color filter
8 is sequentially rotated in synchronization with the reading scan, so that the light separated into R, G, and H corresponding to the positions of the color filters R, G, and H is sequentially received by the photoelectric element 7.
HR, G, and B output signals are obtained serially from the photoelectric element 7.

However, since such a color image reading device uses a rotary color filter 8, this optical system becomes large in size, and typically requires a disk with a diameter of about 130W, and there are However, it is necessary to take up a predetermined amount of space, which increases the size of the device, and there are structural problems such as a large number of fcM products.

On the other hand, there is a method proposed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 45-27178 as a method for eliminating the above-mentioned rotating color filter. This is a configuration in which three irradiation light sources for R, G, and B are prepared, corresponding color filters are placed in front of these light sources, and all of the irradiation light sources are made to blink at different frequencies.

However, even with this method, it is necessary to prepare light sources corresponding to each color, and the drive control of these light sources also needs to be configured in a special manner, resulting in various problems in configuration. 〇 Purpose> The present invention is a friend who does not provide an image reading device that can reduce the size and cost of the optical system in light of the above problems.

In particular, the present invention has a configuration of a CCD sensor that is a photoelectric element, in which four rows of CCD sensors each having N elements are arranged on one chip, and these four rows are arranged in red (R) band and green (G) band. , is configured to have sensitivity to the blue (B) band and the visible light range α, respectively, and the W output when reading a black and white original and when reading a color original, ! :R.

The G and B outputs can be switched to allow black and white and color image reading.

<Embodiment> Fig. 1 shows a 1. A CCDC image sensor is a photoelectric element composed of a chip, and each chip has N elements R, G, B,
Red filters RF are arranged in four rows of CCD sensor rows in W, and N filters are arranged in row G, and there are no filters on the N elements in row W. .

The characteristics of the red filter RF, green filter GF, and blue filter BF are as shown in FIG. Yes, 11 is manuscript 12
13 is a document holder; 14 is an aperture of a reading section provided in the propagation platform II; 15 is a document 1 through the aperture 14;
2, a lens 16; and 17, a one-chip CCD image sensor through which light reflected from the reading surface of the document 12 is incident. Fourth
The figure shows more clearly the relationship between the reflected light from the reading surface, the lens 16, and the CCD image sensor 17.

Next, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the reading configuration of the CCD image sensor 17, where R1 to RN are the sensors in the R column in FIG. 1, and 61 to GNtr! Sensors in the G column, B-B are the sensors in the B column, and W1 to WN are the sensors in the W column.

N Also R5. GS, BS and WS are R, G, B, respectively.
This is a soft register corresponding to each sensor in the W column, and the photocharge from each element in the corresponding sensor column is RTS,
Input via transfer gates of GTS, BTS and WTS.

Furthermore, the output of the soft register R5, the output of GS, and the BS
The output of and the output of WS are respectively connected to the corresponding amplifier RAMP,
The amplifier outputs are led to GAMP, BAMP, and WAMP, and the outputs of these amplifiers become R (red) output, G (green) output, B (blue) output, and W (white) output, respectively, and are sent to the next stage processing section.

By the way, the above transfer gates RTS, GTS, BTS and WTS
A timing signal φ as shown in FIG.
Soft resistors R8゜GS corresponding to the photocharges of B and W
, BS and WS.

In addition, the timing signals φ1 and φ2 shown in FIG. 6 (31) are input to each shift register R5, GS, BS, and WS, respectively, and the contents of each shift register are changed at the fall of the signal Iψ11 or φ2. Only one bit is soft operated.

Furthermore, each amplifier RAMP, GAMP, BAMP and WAM
P is a timing signal φ shown in FIG. 6(3). is input, and this signal φR resets the charges transferred to each amplifier at each timing. And (4) in Figure 6
, (5), +61. +7+i indicates the R output, G output, B output, and W output from the respective amplifiers.

Although not particularly shown in Fig. 5 above, the processing unit switches the mode between the mode switching signal, that is, when reading a color original and when reading a monochrome original, and captures each HR, G, and B output in the color mode, and in the monochrome mode. Here, W output is taken in.

In this case, in the black and white mode, the W output obtained from the W column without a filter can be three or four times as large as the R, G, and B outputs obtained from the RlG and B columns in the color mode. From what can be done ((4) to (7) in Figure 6)
), the black-and-white mode document reading can be performed at a higher speed than the color reading method.

Effects> In the image reading device of the present invention, each of the 1-chip CCD image sensors that receive the reflected light from the document surface irradiated by the irradiation means through the optical system has N elements H4. It has four CCD sensor rows (R, G, B and W) of which four rows are R, G.

A red filter, a green filter, and a blue filter are arranged on the R, G, and B sensor rows of the B and W sensor rows.
The configuration is such that red (R) output, green (G) output, blue (B) output, and white (B) output can be obtained from the outputs of the sensor rows, and it responds to switching instructions when reading color originals and black and white originals. Since it selectively captures R, G, B output and W output, the optical system can be made smaller without the need for a conventional rotating filter, and it can also handle both color and black-and-white originals. 0, which has the characteristic of being able to efficiently read

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The first diagram is a configuration diagram showing the CCD image sensor of the device, Figure 2 is a characteristic diagram of each filter, Figure 3 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the device of the present invention, and Figure 4 is the reflected light and CCD in Figure 3. A diagram showing the relationship between image sensors, Figure 5 is CC
A diagram showing the reading configuration of the D image sensor, (1
) to (7) are timing charts of the configuration shown in FIG.
The figure shows the configuration of a conventional device. Il: Travel table, 12: Original, 15: Light source, 16: Lens, 17:] Chip CCD image sensor, R, G, B
and W: 4 sensor rows, RF: red filter, GF:
i filter, BF knee 2 filter. Agent Patent attorney Aihiko Fukushi (2 others)

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] ], illumination means illuminates the original to be read, the reflected light from the original surface is separated into light beams of different colors by color filters, and the separated light beams are guided to the original gold photoelectric elements of each color. In an image reading device, the photoelectric elements are arranged in four columns (R, G, G,
B and W) CCD sensor rows are arranged, and these R, G,
A red filter, a green filter, and a blue filter are arranged and corresponded to columns R5G and H in the four sensor columns B and W, and the outputs of the four sensor columns are red (R) and green. (G) output, blue (B) output, and white (black and white) output, and in response to the switching instruction signal output according to color originals and black and white originals when reading originals, the outputs of R9G and B are changed. Image reading bag 'E1.0 characterized by selectively capturing W output.