JPS6154761A - Image input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily set a readout area by fitting a cursor which has a marker to a carriage and providing a means which sets a readout area optionally on the basis of the marker and a readout area correcting means which corrects the area corresponding to the quantity of deviation from the marker. CONSTITUTION:The cursor 70 having the marker 76 is fixed to the carriage 28. When a readout area is set, a console panel (not shown in the figure) is operated to operate a paper feeding device and a carriage driving device until the marker 76 coincides the readout area, and margin setting key 84 are operated to set the area, whose positions are stored in a RAM. The marker 76 is in the outside of the readout part 50 of a readout head 46 at the start of reading, so data on the deviation quantity is stored in a ROM, and the position data stored in said RAM on the basis of th marker 76 are corrected on the basis of the data on the deviation quantity and the readout head 46 is moved to a margin position on the basis of the corrected data.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention Technical Field The present invention relates to an image input device that reads an image on a sheet of paper, and in particular, the present invention relates to an image input device that reads an image on a sheet of paper. The present invention relates to an image input device that reads an image of an arbitrary area.

PRIOR ART Image input devices that read images (including characters) on paper are already known, but in conventional devices of this type,
By specifying the size of the paper, the entire image of the specified paper was read.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention If it is possible to arbitrarily set the area that can be read by an image input device, it is possible to read only the figures and graphs in a document and transfer them to another, or to synthesize descriptions from multiple documents. This makes it possible to create a single document using the image input device, and it is thought that the field of application of the image input device will expand. However, since conventional image input devices read the image of the entire sheet of paper as described above, this was not possible.

Means for Solving the Problem In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a paper feeding device that feeds paper in both forward and reverse directions, a carrier movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the paper feeding direction, In an image input device that includes a carriage drive device that moves the carriage, and a reading head that is attached to the carriage and reads images on paper, the carriage is placed a certain distance from the reading section of the reading head along the surface of the paper. a reading area setting means that can attach a cursor with a marker at a position and arbitrarily set a reading area on the paper with the marker as a reference while moving the paper and the reading head relative to each other, and the set reading area; A reading area correction means is provided for making a correction corresponding to the amount of deviation of the marker from the reading part so that the reading part reads the reading area set with the marker as a reference.

Functions and Effects In the image input device configured as described above, the operator selects a plurality of points that define the area in which the image is to be read, for example, if the reading area is a rectangular area, one diagonal of the rectangle. The reading area can be accurately set by aligning the markers with points corresponding to the two located corners. Therefore, reading unnecessary areas is reduced, reading time is shortened, and the amount of stored data is also reduced. Moreover, during actual reading, the amount of deviation of the marker from the reading section is automatically corrected, and the reading section reads the reading area set with the marker as a reference, so the operator has to adjust the amount of deviation of the marker from the reading section. To easily set an image reading area without having to set the reading area while being aware of deviations, and without having to perform correction operations on the reading area in one step by setting the ζ reading area based on the marker. I can do it.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows only the mechanical part of the image input device with recording device. In this figure, numeral 10 is a main body frame, and a platen 12 is hung between both side walls of the main body frame 10. It has been passed.

A paper guide 14 is provided integrally with the main body frame IO at the rear of the platen 12.
The inserted paper is guided by the paper feed motor 16.4. The paper is sent in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the platen 12 by a paper feeding device 22 consisting of feeding rollers 1B, 20, etc.

A guide rod 24 is disposed parallel to the platen 12, and a guide rail 26 is provided between the main body frame 10 and the body.
are formed, and a first carriage 28 is provided to be able to slide over these.

This first carriage 28 is driven by a carriage drive motor 30
．． Binion 32. Gear 34. Timing Boo IJ36.
It is adapted to be moved along the platen 12 by a carriage drive device 40 comprising a timing belt 38 and the like.

As is clear from FIG. 2, a notch is formed in the portion of the first carriage 28 on the side of the platen 12, and the second carriage 42 is accommodated within this notch. This second key, the spear head 42 has a thermal head 44 which is a recording head.
and a reading head 46 are fixed. The thermal head 44 is provided with a recording section 48 in which a plurality of heating elements are arranged vertically, that is, parallel to the paper feeding direction, and the reading head 46 is similarly provided with a reading section 50 that is long in the paper feeding direction. . The reading unit 50 has a plurality of pairs of end faces of a light-emitting fiber and a light-receiving fiber arranged vertically in pairs.
Small from the surface of 4: l'I! Filt, for example 0.15
It is assumed that one m+w4 is included. As schematically shown in FIG. 3, the end faces of the reading sections 50 rji II of the light-emitting fibers T1 to 1'n and the light-receiving fibers R1 to Rn are opposed to the respective reading points D8 to Dn on the paper. The opposite end faces are opposed to the light emitting elements L1 to Ln and the light receiving element P, respectively. The light-emitting element L1, the drive circuits C, -Cn that drive them, the light-receiving element P, and the amplifier A that amplifies its output signal are not shown in FIG. It is incorporated,
Input signals to drive J circuits C1 to Cn and amplifier A
The output signal from the belt-shaped flexible cable 54
It is designed to be guided by. Further, input signals to each heating element of the thermal head 44 are guided through a flexible cable 56 which is overlapped with a flexible cable 54 .

The second carriage 42 is configured to move along the guide rod 24 together with the first carriage 28, but is also rotatable around the guide rod 24, and is attached to the thermal head 4 by a spring (not shown).
4 and the reading head 46 are urged to rotate in a direction away from the platen 12. As shown in FIG. 4, the end of the second carriage 42 opposite to the side supported by the guide rod 24 is pressed against the par 58 by the biasing force of the spring.
8 is the solenoid 60 shown in FIG. The head immediate pressure device consisting of a bell crank 62, etc. is moved by i5'64 to ``niga'' in FIG. , the thermal spatula 44 and the reading head 46 move toward the platen 12 and are pressed against the surface of the paper 66 supported by the platen 12.

As best seen in FIG. 2, a cursor 70 is secured to the first carriage 28. cursor 7
0 is made of transparent synthetic resin, and the thermal head 44
and a plate-shaped member having a notch for accommodating the reading head 46, and is fixed to the first carriage 28 by a screw 74 at a mounting leg 72. As is clear from FIG. 4, the cursor 70 is curved so that its upper end follows the NIL surface of the paper 66 as closely as possible, and a cross-shaped marker as shown in FIG. 76 are provided. This marker 76 is inserted into the paper 6 from the reading section 50 of the reading head 46 in order to make it easier for the operator to see.
It is provided at a position substantially parallel to the paper surface of No. 6 and a certain distance away.

FIG. 5 shows an operation panel 80 of this image input device. This operation panel 80 is fixed at an appropriate position of a case (not shown) that houses the mechanism shown in FIG. Upper left margin set key 84. Lower right margin safe key 86, area check key 88. A mode selection key 90, a start key 92, etc. are provided.

The cursor key 82 is operated to move the reading head 46 in four directions (up, down, left and right) relative to the paper 66, and the upper left margin set key 84 and the lower right margin set key 86 are used to move the upper left margin and the lower right margin set key 86, respectively. It is manipulated to cent the bottom right margin. Area check key 88 is both margin set key 84
．． This operation is performed to check the reading area set by the operation 86. The mode selection key 90 is operated to select one of two modes in which the reading unit of the reading head 46, that is, the distance traveled by the reading head 4G for each reading, is different. The start key 92 is pressed 161 to start reading. 94 is a light emitting diode.

FIG. 6 shows the control circuit of this image input device. The main body of the control circuit is a microcomputer consisting of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), 100° ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, and RAM (Random Access Memory) 104. CI) tJ 10 (+ indicates the operation panel 80
are connected to each paper feed drive circuit 106. Carriage drive circuit 108 is connected to paper feed motor l via solenoid drive circuit 110 and thermal-rad drive circuit 112, and carriage drive motor 30. It is adapted to control the solenoid 60 and the thermal head 44.

Further, the CP[J 100 sequentially issues a command signal to each of the drive circuits C4 to Cn of the read head 46 through the multiplexer 114 to sequentially emit light emitting signals L, , -Ln, and at that time, the signals appearing in the amplifier A. The amount of detection signals is taken sequentially. Furthermore, cputoo can exchange information with other devices such as word processors and computers via an interface (not shown).

The ROM 102 stores various control programs including the program represented by flowchart 1 shown in FIG.
A microcomputer consisting of 2 and a RAM 104 constitutes the reading area setting means and the reading area modifying means, and this point will be explained below along with its operation.

When it is necessary to read the image displayed within the rectangular reading area 116 of the paper 66 as shown in FIG.
First, the operator operates the cursor keys 82 appropriately to operate the paper feed device 22 and the carriage drive device 40, and moves the center of the marker 76 of the cursor 70 to the reading area 116.
(step S1), and then operate the upper left margin set key 84 (step S2). Based on this operation, CPUOO stores the upper left margin position, the left margin position, and the upper margin position at a predetermined address in the RAM 104 (Sketches S3). Similarly, in step S4, the operator places the marker 76 on the reading section i! Located at the lower right corner of Si116, step S5
If you operate the lower right margin set key 86, the CPU
100 stores the lower right margin position, that is, the right margin position and the lower margin position in step S6 in RAM+04.
to be memorized.

Next, when the operator operates the start key 92 (step S7), the CPU 100 executes step S8. That is, the marker 76 is read as described above.
Since it is provided at a position away from the reading section 50 of the hood 46, the data of the amount of deviation is stored in R□MJO2, and as described above, the ζRA is
The data of the upper left margin position and the lower right margin position stored in M104 is corrected based on the data of the missing plate, and the reading head 46 is moved to the upper left margin position based on the corrected data. In this state, the upper end of the reading section 50 is located at the upper left corner of the reading area 116. Subsequently, step S9 is executed, and reading is performed from the left margin position to the right margin position. Of course, each time the reading section 50 moves a distance corresponding to one pitch as the second carriage 42 moves, the drive circuit C
4 to Cn cause the light emitting elements L1 to Ln to emit light sequentially, and as a result, an electric signal emitted from the light receiving element P corresponding to the strength of the reflected light is amplified in the amplifier A and sent to the CPU.
100, the data are sequentially stored at predetermined addresses in the RAM 104.

When reading from the left margin position to the right margin position is completed, it is determined in step S10 whether or not reading has been performed up to the bottom margin position, and if it has not been read yet, step S11 is executed, and the second At the same time as the carriage 42 is returned to the left margin position, the paper 66 is fed by an amount corresponding to the length of the reading section 50. Then, step S9 and SIO are executed again, and if reading of the entire reading area 116 is completed by this repetition, the determination result in step 5100 is YES.
Step 312 is then executed, and the buzzer sounds several times to notify the completion of reading.

The image data read in the above manner is stored in RAM1.
04, the CPU
100 controls a thermal head drive circuit 112 to appropriately generate heat from the heating element of the thermal head 44, thereby making it possible to record the read image on another sheet of paper. Of course, in this case, the same paper feed device 22. that was used to read the image. The carriage drive device 40, head pressing device 64, etc. are operated. Also,)? A.M.
The image data stored in 104 is CI)
The data can also be transferred to other devices via an ink interface (not shown).

As is clear from the above explanation, the operator can use the transparent cursor 70 with the marker 76 placed at an easily visible position.
It is only necessary to set the reading area based on , and there is no need to be aware that the marker 76 is out of the reading section 50 . Therefore, it is possible to easily and accurately set the desired reading area on the paper.

One embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail in g1. This is literally just an example, and various modifications may be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, such as changing the shape of the cursor or marker, the structure of the reading head, etc. The invention can be implemented in various embodiments.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing only the mechanical part of an image input device equipped with a recording device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a reading head and a recording head in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the configuration of the reading head. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 shows the operation panel of the image input device. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of the image input device. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing only a portion of the program stored in the ROM in FIG. 6 that is closely related to the present invention. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of setting a reading area. 10: Main body frame 12 nib tray 22: Paper feed device 28: First carriage 40: Carriage drive device 42: Second carriage 46: Reading head 50: Reading section 64: Head pressing device 70: Cursor
76: Marker 82: Cursor key 84: Upper left margin set key 86: Lower right margin set key 92 Start key

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A paper feeding device that feeds paper in both forward and reverse directions, a carriage movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the paper feeding direction, a carriage drive device that moves the carriage, and a carriage drive device that is attached to the carriage, In an image input device including a reading head that reads an image on the paper, a cursor having a marker is attached to the carriage at a position a certain distance apart from the reading section of the reading head substantially along the paper surface of the paper, and , a reading area setting means capable of arbitrarily setting a reading area on the paper using the marker as a reference while relatively moving the paper and the reading head; 1. An image input device comprising: reading area correction means for making a correction corresponding to the amount so that the reading section reads a reading area set with the marker as a reference.