JPS6333057A - Picture information input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To input picture information irrespective of the thickness in an information medium or the form of a surface by mounting a picture information input device on the information medium on which the picture information to be inputted is described, movably displacing it and inputting the picture information. CONSTITUTION:The input device 1 is mounted on the information medium 32 (for instance, a book) on which the picture information such as a character, a graphic or the like is described and manually displaced, thereby, the picture information is inputted. A roller 6 is brought into contact with the information medium 32 under pressure and rotated corresponding to said displacement. The rotation of the roller 6 is effectively transferred to a rotary encoder 17 through an idler 16, thereby, a detection signal formed by a light emission element 23 and a photo-interrupter 24 is a signal highly accurately corresponding to the rotation of the roller 6. Thereby, an input processing can be directly carried out to an object having the thickness such as the book.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image information input device, and more particularly to a human-powered image information device that inputs image information by manually scanning a document to be input.

2. Description of the Related Art In general, so-called image scanners, bar code readers, and the like are known as image information input devices that input image information by optical means and supply it to personal computers, word processors, and the like.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the image information human-powered device described above, the image scanner is a stationary type, and due to its structure, the image information to be input is expressed on a piece of paper and this is inserted into the image scanner. Therefore, there was a problem in that direct input processing could not be performed on thick objects such as books.

On the other hand, in the case of a barcode reader, only one line of information can be entered within a limited range, so if the amount of information to be entered is small and the surface on which the barcode is written is highly uneven, the input processing will be difficult. However, there were problems in that the surface shape was also restricted.

Therefore, in the present invention, the above-mentioned problem is solved by making the image information input device itself a handy type, and by configuring it so that it can be sequentially input by placing it on the area where information is to be input and moving it. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an image information input device that provides the following functions.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, an image information input device according to the present invention is brought into pressure contact with an information medium on which image information to be inputted is written, and the relative displacement speed with respect to this information medium is adjusted. a rotating member that rotates correspondingly to the information medium; an image reading unit that generates an image data signal by receiving reflected light including image information of light irradiated from a light source toward an information medium via an optical system; Rotation detection means is provided for detecting rotation and generating a synchronization signal for synchronizing the image data signal with the rotational speed of the rotating member.

Embodiment Next, an embodiment of the image information input device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an image information input device 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as input device) according to the present invention. The input device 1 shown in the same figure is roughly referred to as a housing 2. Substrate 3, rotation detection means 4, light emitting section 5, roller 6, lens 7
, -dimensional image sensor 8, etc.

The housing 2 consists of an upper half 2a and a lower half 2b, and an opening 9 is formed at the front bottom of the lower half 2b. Bearing portions 10 are provided on both sides of the opening 9 in the longitudinal direction.
a, 10b are formed integrally with the lower part A-72b, and this bearing portion 10a.

A spindle 12 of a roller 6, which will be described later, is rotatably fitted into the holes 11a and 11b formed in the hole 10b.

Further, a mounting portion 13 for mounting and mounting the lens 7 is integrally formed at the rear center position of the lower half 2b.

The substrate 3 has an electronic component 14 configuring an electronic circuit, which will be described later, mounted on the upper part thereof, and has a substantially U-shaped shape with a cutout at a portion corresponding to the mounting position of the lens 7. The substrate 3 is fixedly attached to the lower half 2b by being screwed onto a bob formed on the lower half 2b (not shown). Furthermore, a rotation detecting means 4 for detecting the rotation of the roller 6 is provided at the front left side of the substrate 3.

The rotation detecting means 4 includes a holder portion 15, an idler 16, a rotary encoder 17, a pressing spring 18, and the like. The holder part 15 is integrally molded of synthetic resin, and has bearing parts 21a, 21b, 22a, 2 that support the support shaft 19 of the idler 16 and the support @20 of the rotaryen and Korg 17.
2b is formed. Disc-shaped rotary encoder 1
7 has a plurality of slits 17a extending in the radial direction formed at equal angular intervals. Further, a light emitting diode 23 and a phototransistor 24 are arranged at a position facing the slit 17a of the rotary encoder 17, which is in the installed state. The pressing spring 18 is screwed onto the holder part 15 by a screw 25, and both arm parts 18a and 18b urge the support shaft 19 of the idler 16 downward. Furthermore, a portion of the support shaft 20 of the rotary encoder 17 has a large diameter and is formed with a roller portion 17b.

Here, the assembled rotation detecting means 4 will be explained using FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway plan view of the assembled input device 1. As shown in the figure, the roller 6
is the bearing gIX10a, 10b, and the rotary encoder 17 is the bearing part 22a.

22b, and the idler 16 is configured to abut against the roller 6 and the roller portion 17b of the rotary encoder 17 from above. Further, as described above, since the pressing spring 18 urges the support shaft 19 of the idler 16 downward, the idler 16 always contacts the roller 6 and the roller portion 17b with an appropriate pressing force. Further, a non-slip rubber 16a is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the idler 16 that comes into contact with the roller 6 and the roller portion 17b.

Therefore, the rotation of the roller 6 is reliably transmitted to the rotary encoder 17 via the idler 16, and the rotation of the rotary encoder 17 corresponds to the rotation of the roller 6 with high precision. The detection signal (described later) corresponds to the rotation of the roller 6 with high precision.

Next, the optical system provided in the input device 1 will be explained using FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the ii side of the input device 1. As shown in FIG. The light emitting unit 5 consists of a plurality of light emitting diodes arranged in a row, and a holder 26 to which this is attached.
A mirror 27 is provided. This mirror 27 is arranged at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the bottom surface of the lower half 2b. Furthermore, pieces 26a are attached to the lower portions of both sides of the holder 26.

26b is formed. This light emitting part 5 is installed in the gap between both ends of the support shaft 12 and the lower half 2b after inserting the roller 6 into the opening 9 from below the lower half 2b and fitting the support shaft 12 into the bearings 10a and 10b. pieces 26a, 26b
can be attached to the lower half 2b by inserting the (
(shown in Figure 2).

This prevents the roller 6 from falling off downward, and the light emitting section 5 and mirror 27 can be attached to the lower half 2b without the need for attachments.

The lens 7 is housed in a cylindrical case, and is fixed on the part 13 by screwing the bracket 28 with screws 29a and 29b. 30 is a sensor holder made of resin, and the image sensor 8 is attached to the rear part, and the front part has a semi-cylindrical shape corresponding to the lens 7, and a part overlaps with the cylindrical case of the lens 7. It is configured like this. This sensor boulder 30 has a V-shaped screw hole 3.
0a, 30b are formed, and a screw 31a.

The mounting section 13 is attached to the lower half 2b by 31b. Since the screw holes 30a and 30b have a figure 7 shape, the sensor holder 30 can be slidably displaced relative to the lens 7 by slightly loosening the screws 31a and 31b. 7 focus adjustments can be made. The image sensor 8 also performs photoelectric conversion in response to incoming light to generate an image data signal.

As shown in FIG. 4, the input device 1 having the above-mentioned configuration has an information medium 3 on which image information such as characters and figures to be input is written.
2 (for example, a book), and image information is input by manually displacing it in the direction of the arrow in the figure. At this time, the roller 6 is in pressure contact with the information medium 32 and is rotated in accordance with the above displacement.

Next, the functions of each component when the input device 1 performs image input processing will be explained using mainly FIG. 3.

When inputting an image, the light emitting diode of the light emitting section 5 emits light, and the light is irradiated onto the information medium 32 through the aperture 9. The reflected light of this irradiation light by the information medium 32 (
(indicated by a dotted chain line in the figure) is 9 by the mirror 27.
0'' direction, is focused by a lens 7, and is incident on an image sensor 8.The image sensor 8 is
An image data signal is generated in response to the received light.

Next, a circuit diagram of the input device 1 is shown in FIG. In the figure, an oscillation frequency signal of approximately 3.58 MHz output from an oscillation circuit 40 is divided into 1/2 by a flip-flop 41 and supplied to a timing signal generation circuit 42.

Flip-flop 43 in timing signal generation circuit 42
divides the output signal of the flip-flop 41 into 1/2, and its Q'18 child output and σ terminal output are respectively sent to a NAND circuit 44.
7(B).

(C) Address up signal AU as shown respectively.

A write signal WG is generated and output from terminals 46 and 47, respectively. The flip-flop 48 divides the frequency of the address up signal AU by 1/2 and outputs the Q and Q signals.

A clock signal φ1. Output each of φ2. The counter 49 divides the clock signal φ1 by 1024 and outputs the divided signal. The output signal of the counter 49 is directly supplied to the NAND circuit 51 after being delayed and inverted by the flip-flop 50, and the NAND circuit 51 generates the address reset signal AR as shown in FIG. 7(A) and outputs it from the terminal 52. .

The image sensor 8 is a one-dimensional COD (charge coupled device) sensor, for example, TCD10.
7C is used. The image sensor 8 receives the address up signal AU generated by the timing signal generation circuit 42, the clock signal φ1. φ2, the address reset signal AR is inverted, and the 16th, 8th and 18th, 4th and 13th
The analog image signal corresponding to 1024 pixels of one line obtained by photoelectric conversion is outputted from the first terminal every cycle of the address reset signal ΔR. Note that the address up signal AU instructs the division of each pixel, and the clock signal φ1. φ2 is used as a transfer lock.

The image signal output from the image sensor 8 is supplied to the non-inverting input terminal of the comparator 61 via transistors Q1 to Q1, where it is compared with the reference level of the inverting input terminal, and is converted into a digital signal as shown in FIG. 7(D). image data VD
and is output from the terminal 62. In addition, Fig. 8 (A)
The image data VD is output at the timing shown in FIG. 8 (8) when the address reset signal AR rises as shown in FIG.

Further, as mentioned above, the rotary encoder 17 is disposed between the light emitting diode 23 and the phototransistor 24, and the phototransistor 24 becomes conductive when the light from the light emitting diode 23 enters through the slit 17a.
For example, conduction occurs eight times while the input device 1 moves 1 m. The output signal of the phototransistor 24 is supplied to the non-inverting input terminal of the comparator 63, where it is compared with the reference level of the inverting input terminal and shaped into a pulse signal, as shown in FIG.
) is output from the terminal 64 as a step pulse as shown in FIG.

Further, the address reset signal AR input to the terminal 71 is sent to the counter 78 via an inverter 81 and an AND circuit 87.
-80, and the counter circuit 77 is reset to zero when the address reset signal ΔR rises.

FIG. 5 shows a circuit diagram of one embodiment of the interface circuit. This interface circuit is attached to the main body of the personal computer (not shown).

In FIG. 5, an address up signal A U is sent from the input device 1 to each of terminals 70, 71, 72, 73, and 74.

Address reset signal AR, image data VD, write signal τ° C., and step pulse ST each enter. Address up signal AU is supplied to counter circuit 77 via AND circuits 75 and 76. The counter circuit 77 is composed of cascade-connected 4-bit counters 78, 79, and 80, and counts the address up signal AU. The counter circuit 77 extracts a total of 7 bits from the 4th to 10th bits of the total 12-bit count value as an address and supplies it to the RAM 82. This address, ie, the 4th to 10th bits of the counter circuit 77, counts up every 8 pulses of the address up signal AU. Also,
The 11th bit of the count value of the counter circuit 77 is supplied to the AND circuit 75 via the inverter 83, and when the count value reaches 1024 or more, the supply of the count up signal AU to the counter 77 is stopped.

The image data VD is supplied to the input terminal SL of the shift register 85, and the write signal WG is sent via the NAND circuit 86.
It is supplied to the control terminal R/W of the RAM 82 and the clock input terminal of the shift register 85. The shift register 85 has an 8-bit configuration, shifts the incoming image data in response to the write signal WG, and outputs it in 8-bit parallel.

This 8-bit parallel image data is supplied to the terminal DO-D7 of the RAM 82 and written into the RAM 82 at the fall of the write signal W.

As a result, 8-bit image data VD is sequentially written to each address of the RAM 82 every time the output address of the counter circuit 77 counts up, and 102 bits of image data for one line are written.
4-bit image data VD is stored in RAM82.

Step pulse ST is supplied to terminal PC7 of I10 boat 88, and from this I10 boat 88 to the computer main body via data bus 89. When the step pulse ST rises, the computer main body connects the data bus 89.
provides control data and addresses to the I10 boat 88 via the I10 port 88. Note that 90 is an address bus, and the address output from the computer main body is decoded by a decoder 91 to generate a chip select signal specifying the I10 boat 88 and supplied to the terminal C8 of the I10 boat 88.

With the above control data, terminal PC3 of I10 port 88
was at L level when writing to the RAM 82, but becomes H level. This results in AND circuit 76.87
Each of them stops supplying the address up signal AU and the address reset signal AR to the counter circuit 77, and stops the shift operation of the shift register 85. Nando circuit 9
3 becomes L level, each of the counters 78 to 80 becomes ready for presetting, and the output of NAND circuit 86 becomes 1.
” level, and the RAM 82 becomes readable.

Thereafter, the 7-bit address supplied from the computer main body via the data bus 89 is sent to the 4th to 10th addresses of the counter circuit 77 from terminals PAO-PA6 of the I10 port 88.
supplied to bits. The above address is the counter circuit 77
is preset and supplied to the RAM82.
8-bit image data VD is read out from terminals Do to D7 of the
O~PB7. It passes through DO-D7 and is supplied to the computer main body via data bus 89.

The computer main body supplies an address whose value is sequentially incremented to the I10 port 88, and thereby the RAM 8
2, one line of 1024-bit image data VD is read out and supplied to the computer main body. When the reading of the image data VD is completed, the computer main body
Control data is supplied to the 0 port 88, and the terminal PC3 is set to L level, thereby making the RAM 82 again in a writable state.

Note that the operating power for the input device 1 is supplied from the computer main body, and is connected to the terminals pco and pci of the I10 boat 88.
When each of the transistors 02 to 05 is at H level, each of the transistors 02 to 05 becomes conductive, and power is supplied to the input device 1 from the terminals 95 and 96.

In this way, regardless of the sliding scanning of the reading device, the output image data of the image sensor 8 is repeatedly stored in the RAM 82 at a predetermined period.
When the rotary encoder 17 or the like generates a detection signal when sliding scanning is performed, the computer main body accesses the RAM 82 and one line of image data read from the RAM 82 is input to the computer main body. . Therefore, image data can be input to the computer main body at appropriate timing.

In addition, the computer main body uses RAM only when generating detection signals.
82, and other jobs can be executed at other times, improving the processing efficiency of the computer itself.

Note that in the above embodiment, the image data is monochrome information, but if the image sensor outputs a color image signal, color image data can be input to the computer main body in the same manner as in the above embodiment. Of course, this can be done.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the image information reading device of the present invention,
By placing the image information input device on an information medium on which the image information to be inputted is written, and moving and displacing the image information input device, the image information can be inputted into, for example, a personal computer. It has features such as being able to input image information regardless of the shape of the surface.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the image information input device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway plan view of the device of the present invention, and FIG.
4 is a perspective view for explaining input processing by the device of the invention, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a circuit applicable to the device of the invention, and FIG. A circuit diagram of one embodiment of the circuit portion of the illustrated device, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are signal waveform diagrams of various parts of the circuit illustrated in FIG. 6, respectively. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Input device, 2... Housing, 2b... Lower half, 3... Board, 4... Rotation detection means, 5...
...Light emitting part, 6...Roller, 7...Lens, 8...
- Image sensor, 9... Opening, 15... Holder part, 16... Idler, 17... Low reencoder, 18... Press spring, 26... Holder, 26a,
26b... Single mounting, 30... Sensor holder, 32
...information medium.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A rotating member that is pressed against an information medium on which image information to be inputted is written and rotates in response to a relative displacement speed with the information medium, and light that is irradiated from a light source toward the information medium through an optical system. an image reading means for generating an image data signal by receiving the reflected light including the image information; and a rotation for detecting the rotation of the rotating member and generating a synchronization signal for synchronizing the image data signal with the rotational speed of the rotating member. An image information input device comprising a detection means.