USRE41272E1 - Imaging apparatus with divers resolution - Google Patents
Imaging apparatus with divers resolution Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- USRE41272E1 USRE41272E1 US11/262,563 US26256305A USRE41272E US RE41272 E1 USRE41272 E1 US RE41272E1 US 26256305 A US26256305 A US 26256305A US RE41272 E USRE41272 E US RE41272E
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- image
- capture
- imaging
- resolution
- divers
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related, expires
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Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
- H04N1/04—Scanning arrangements, i.e. arrangements for the displacement of active reading or reproducing elements relative to the original or reproducing medium, or vice versa
- H04N1/0402—Scanning different formats; Scanning with different densities of dots per unit length, e.g. different numbers of dots per inch (dpi); Conversion of scanning standards
- H04N1/042—Details of the method used
- H04N1/0449—Details of the method used using different sets of scanning elements, e.g. for different formats
- H04N1/0452—Details of the method used using different sets of scanning elements, e.g. for different formats mounted on the same support or substrate
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
- H04N1/04—Scanning arrangements, i.e. arrangements for the displacement of active reading or reproducing elements relative to the original or reproducing medium, or vice versa
- H04N1/0402—Scanning different formats; Scanning with different densities of dots per unit length, e.g. different numbers of dots per inch (dpi); Conversion of scanning standards
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
- H04N1/04—Scanning arrangements, i.e. arrangements for the displacement of active reading or reproducing elements relative to the original or reproducing medium, or vice versa
- H04N1/0402—Scanning different formats; Scanning with different densities of dots per unit length, e.g. different numbers of dots per inch (dpi); Conversion of scanning standards
- H04N1/0408—Different densities of dots per unit length
- H04N1/0411—Different densities of dots per unit length in the main scanning direction
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N25/00—Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
- H04N25/70—SSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith
- H04N25/701—Line sensors
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
- H04N1/04—Scanning arrangements, i.e. arrangements for the displacement of active reading or reproducing elements relative to the original or reproducing medium, or vice versa
- H04N1/10—Scanning arrangements, i.e. arrangements for the displacement of active reading or reproducing elements relative to the original or reproducing medium, or vice versa using flat picture-bearing surfaces
- H04N1/1013—Scanning arrangements, i.e. arrangements for the displacement of active reading or reproducing elements relative to the original or reproducing medium, or vice versa using flat picture-bearing surfaces with sub-scanning by translatory movement of at least a part of the main-scanning components
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
- H04N1/04—Scanning arrangements, i.e. arrangements for the displacement of active reading or reproducing elements relative to the original or reproducing medium, or vice versa
- H04N1/19—Scanning arrangements, i.e. arrangements for the displacement of active reading or reproducing elements relative to the original or reproducing medium, or vice versa using multi-element arrays
- H04N1/191—Scanning arrangements, i.e. arrangements for the displacement of active reading or reproducing elements relative to the original or reproducing medium, or vice versa using multi-element arrays the array comprising a one-dimensional array, or a combination of one-dimensional arrays, or a substantially one-dimensional array, e.g. an array of staggered elements
- H04N1/192—Simultaneously or substantially simultaneously scanning picture elements on one main scanning line
- H04N1/193—Simultaneously or substantially simultaneously scanning picture elements on one main scanning line using electrically scanned linear arrays, e.g. linear CCD arrays
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, and to details thereof
- H04N2201/0077—Types of the still picture apparatus
- H04N2201/0081—Image reader
Definitions
- the invention relates to an imaging apparatus with divers resolution, and more particularly to which can perform document scanning according to a predetermined resolution setting by switching among divers image-capture elements with respective resolution defaults.
- An imaging apparatus or a scanner is one of popular computer peripherals.
- an interior image-capture unit such as a CCD is used to generate an image from a document rested upon a document plate.
- the image as a form of digital signals are then forwarded to a computer for further image processing or storage.
- the optical scanner 1 includes a light source 10 , a document carrier plate 12 , a reflection lens set 14 , a major lens 16 and an image-capture element 18 .
- the light source 10 is usually a lengthy fluorescent tube for illuminating the document 2 rested upon the document carrier plate 12 .
- the document carrier plate 12 is a transparent plate made of glass or acrylic for supporting the document 2 thereofupon.
- the reflection lens set 14 includes a plurality of reflection lenses, say 141 , 142 and 143 for example. By providing these reflection lenses 141 , 142 and 143 , a proper light path for forwarding the document image can be established.
- the reflection lens set 14 can receive and forward the document image captured from the document 2 rested upon the carrier plate 12 .
- the document image is then sent to the major lens 16 via the reflection lenses 141 , 142 and 143 .
- the major lens 16 is a convex lens for focusing the document image to its focal point.
- the image-capture element 18 for capturing the document image is located right at the focal point for the major lens 16 .
- the image-capture element 18 can be an electric charge coupling device (CCD) as an example.
- the optical scanner is used to process document imaging and the imaging quality does highly depend upon the resolution of the image-capture element, a necessary condition for a scanner to have improved imaging quality is obvious that the scanner must include a high-resolution image-capture element.
- high resolution implies that the image-capture element needs to provide a huge number of pixels within a unit length of the document. Hence, the more number of the pixels are required in the imaging process, the slower the imaging is performed.
- a high-resolution scanner can provide better quality to the document image, yet plenty process time is required as an unavoidable tradeoff.
- a user might feel time-wasting to duplicate those document by using a high-resolution scanner.
- a simple, low-resolution and fast scanner may only meet the need. Therefore, to resolve the problem, some high-rank scanners in the market do provide a convenient switch function for the users being capable of determining if a document should apply a high-resolution imaging process or a low-resolution imaging process.
- the adjusting of the imaging resolution is mainly done through varying the focus of the major lens due to the higher cost and lower resolution of the image-capture element (CCD, for example).
- CCD image-capture element
- current image-capture technology has been improved to an extend that lower production cost and higher resolution are feasible.
- developing a technique of applying a single major lens to integrate several image-capture elements with various resolution will definitely contribute a lot to the market competitiveness of the product.
- the imaging apparatus with divers resolution in accordance with the present invention includes a light source, a reflection lens set, a major lens and an image-capture unit.
- the light source is a lengthy fluorescent tube for illuminating a document to further generate a document image.
- the reflection lens set includes a plurality of reflection lenses for forwarding the document image consecutively to the major lens.
- the major lens is used to receive the document image transported by the reflection lens set and to form the document image at a focal point of the major lens.
- the image-capture unit includes a plurality of image-capture elements with various resolution for meeting divers usage requirements. According to the present invention, a suitable image-capture element with particular resolution can be shifted to the focal point of the major lens for performing the image capturing.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an optical scanner in the art
- FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of the imaging apparatus with divers resolution in accordance with the present invention
- FIG. 3 A- FIG. 3C are a series of schematic views of the first embodiment performing a typical resolution switch
- FIG. 4 A- FIG. 4B are schematic views of the first embodiment performing another resolution switch
- FIG. 5A is a schematic view of a second embodiment of the imaging apparatus with divers resolution in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 5B illustrates the relationship between the illumination and the position for the second embodiment of FIG. 5A ;
- FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the control algorithm of the resolution shift of the second embodiment.
- the high-rank scanner in the art applies various major lenses to attain the function of resolution alternating or resolution shift.
- Obvious disadvantages for such an application are higher production cost for including various major lenses and difficulty in constructing a complicate lens-switching mechanism.
- the function of resolution shift to attain a particular imaging resolution is performed by utilizing a respective image-capture element selected from several image-capture elements with various resolution for imaging. Details for embodying the present invention are described below.
- the imaging apparatus 3 includes a light source 30 , a reflection lens set 32 , a major lens 34 and an image-capture unit 36 .
- the light source 30 is a lengthy fluorescent tube for illuminating a document to generate an document image.
- the reflection lens set 32 for forwarding the document image includes a plurality of reflection lenses; say preferably 321 , 322 and 323 in FIG. 2 .
- the reflection lenses 321 , 322 and 323 are used to provide a suitable optical path for transmitting the document image to the major lens 34 .
- the major lens 34 is a convex lens with focal function for forming an image at its focal point according to the document image received from the reflection lens set 32 .
- the image-capture unit 36 includes a plurality of image-capture elements 361 having divers resolution settings.
- the focal point of the major lens 34 is located at a specific point of the image-capture unit 36 .
- the image-capture elements 361 can be the charge coupling devices (CCD) and are lined up straightly.
- the image-capture unit 36 further includes a driving mechanism (not shown in all figures) for linearly moving the image-capture elements 361 along an L-direction as shown.
- the driving mechanism of the present invention can be a manual mechanism, an electronic control mechanism, or the like.
- one of the image-capture elements 361 Upon the driving mechanism moving the image-capture elements 361 , one of the image-capture elements 361 will be move to the focal point of the major lens 34 .
- a particular image-capture element 361 with suitable resolution can be selected to perform the imaging according to a practical requirement.
- the image-capture unit 36 a can be a turntable mechanism, in which the image-capture elements 361 is arranged annually on a turntable.
- the image-capture unit further includes a driving mechanism (not shown in the figure) for manually or electronically automatically rotating the image-capture unit 36 a to move a specific image-capture element 361 with respective resolution to the focal point of the major lens 34 .
- the imaging apparatus 4 includes a light source 30 , a reflection lens set 42 , a major lens 44 and an image-capture unit 46 .
- the light source 30 , the reflection lens set 42 and the major lens are all resembled respectively to those of the first embodiment described previously.
- the image-capture unit 46 of the second embodiment includes a plurality of image-capture elements 461 with respectively resolution.
- the image-capture elements 461 are preferably located to the focal point A of the major lens 44 as close as possible.
- the document image will be focused to a spot with a substantial area (not a point) by the major lens 44 .
- the localized illumination is decreased to the spot rim from the central focal point A as shown in FIG. 5 B.
- any of the image-capture elements 461 of the image-capture unit 46 fallen within the spot can capture the document image. Therefore, it is obvious that the major difference between the first and the second embodiments is the inclusion of the driving mechanism for moving the image-capture elements 461 of the image-capture unit 46 to capture the document image.
- the image-capture unit 46 is fixedly mounted, and a switching device (not shown in the figure) is introduced to electronically control the selection of a specific image-capture element 461 with appropriate resolution for image capturing.
- the image captured by the image-capture element 461 is then sent for further computer processing.
- step 61 one of the image-capture elements 461 is selected according to the resolution thereof.
- an electronic controller is used to activate the selected image-capture element 461 and invalidate the rest of the image-capture elements 461 of the image-capture unit 46 (step 62 ).
- step 63 the selected image-capture element 461 is utilized to perform the imaging of the document.
- the electronic controller is used to determine the selected image-capture element 461 with specific resolution for imaging; so that the resolution shift for the second embodiment can be achieved.
- the imaging apparatus with divers resolution in accordance with the present invention mainly introduces the technique of integrating a single major lens with a plurality of image-capture elements with various resolution. Due to a substantial price down of the image-capture elements as CCD recently in the market and also due to the upgrade of the resolution technology, it is feasible to produce a low-cost imaging apparatus with various selection upon imaging resolution.
- the resolution shift is obtained by linearly moving the image-capture unit.
- the driving mechanism for such moving motion is obviously easy to be constructed.
- the image-capture unit is constructed motionless, but a switching device electronically controlled is introduced to proceed the resolution shift. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the cost for constructing a driving mechanism to move the image-capture unit can be waived.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Multimedia (AREA)
- Signal Processing (AREA)
- Facsimile Scanning Arrangements (AREA)
Abstract
Description
-
- 1. Integrating a zoom lens to the image-capture element;
- 2. Integrating a plurality of lens to the image-capture element; and
- 3. Integrating a plurality of lens to a plurality of image-capture elements.
Claims (15)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US11/262,563 USRE41272E1 (en) | 2000-09-05 | 2005-10-28 | Imaging apparatus with divers resolution |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/654,902 US6639694B1 (en) | 2000-09-05 | 2000-09-05 | Imaging apparatus with divers resolution |
US11/262,563 USRE41272E1 (en) | 2000-09-05 | 2005-10-28 | Imaging apparatus with divers resolution |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/654,902 Reissue US6639694B1 (en) | 2000-09-05 | 2000-09-05 | Imaging apparatus with divers resolution |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
USRE41272E1 true USRE41272E1 (en) | 2010-04-27 |
Family
ID=29251391
Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/654,902 Ceased US6639694B1 (en) | 2000-09-05 | 2000-09-05 | Imaging apparatus with divers resolution |
US11/262,563 Expired - Fee Related USRE41272E1 (en) | 2000-09-05 | 2005-10-28 | Imaging apparatus with divers resolution |
Family Applications Before (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/654,902 Ceased US6639694B1 (en) | 2000-09-05 | 2000-09-05 | Imaging apparatus with divers resolution |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
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US (2) | US6639694B1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
TW488147B (en) * | 2000-01-26 | 2002-05-21 | Umax Data Systems Inc | Close loop control apparatus and method for a scanner |
US6650444B1 (en) * | 2000-09-19 | 2003-11-18 | Umax Data Systems Inc. | Apparatus compensating a scanned object for optical characteristics according to light sources of different wavelengths |
US20030035154A1 (en) * | 2001-08-14 | 2003-02-20 | Umax Data Systems Inc. | Document-loading panel structure for scanner |
Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4751376A (en) * | 1985-04-12 | 1988-06-14 | Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha | Image reader with focus and magnification detection control |
US5802217A (en) * | 1992-09-28 | 1998-09-01 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Image reading apparatus for obtaining a shading correction factor using two white reference members |
US6151419A (en) * | 1997-03-27 | 2000-11-21 | Seiko Epson Corporation | Image reading method and image reading apparatus |
US6236430B1 (en) * | 1995-11-10 | 2001-05-22 | Techno Media Co., Ltd. | Color still image sensing apparatus and method |
US6320618B1 (en) * | 1996-08-30 | 2001-11-20 | Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Semiconductor image sensor with a plurality of different resolution areas |
US6424433B1 (en) * | 1997-06-20 | 2002-07-23 | Pfu Limited | Original reader |
US7349129B2 (en) * | 1999-10-29 | 2008-03-25 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Controller for photosensor array with multiple different sensor areas |
-
2000
- 2000-09-05 US US09/654,902 patent/US6639694B1/en not_active Ceased
-
2005
- 2005-10-28 US US11/262,563 patent/USRE41272E1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4751376A (en) * | 1985-04-12 | 1988-06-14 | Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha | Image reader with focus and magnification detection control |
US5802217A (en) * | 1992-09-28 | 1998-09-01 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Image reading apparatus for obtaining a shading correction factor using two white reference members |
US6236430B1 (en) * | 1995-11-10 | 2001-05-22 | Techno Media Co., Ltd. | Color still image sensing apparatus and method |
US6320618B1 (en) * | 1996-08-30 | 2001-11-20 | Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Semiconductor image sensor with a plurality of different resolution areas |
US6151419A (en) * | 1997-03-27 | 2000-11-21 | Seiko Epson Corporation | Image reading method and image reading apparatus |
US6424433B1 (en) * | 1997-06-20 | 2002-07-23 | Pfu Limited | Original reader |
US7349129B2 (en) * | 1999-10-29 | 2008-03-25 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Controller for photosensor array with multiple different sensor areas |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US6639694B1 (en) | 2003-10-28 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: TRANSPACIFIC SYSTEMS, LLC, DELAWARE Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:TRANSPACIFIC IP LTD.;REEL/FRAME:023107/0267 Effective date: 20090618 Owner name: TRANSPACIFIC SYSTEMS, LLC,DELAWARE Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:TRANSPACIFIC IP LTD.;REEL/FRAME:023107/0267 Effective date: 20090618 |
|
FPAY | Fee payment |
Year of fee payment: 8 |
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: TITUSVILLE CANAVERAL LLC, DELAWARE Free format text: MERGER;ASSIGNOR:TRANSPACIFIC SYSTEMS, LLC;REEL/FRAME:030628/0681 Effective date: 20130213 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: INTELLECTUAL VENTURES I LLC, DELAWARE Free format text: MERGER;ASSIGNOR:TITUSVILLE CANAVERAL LLC;REEL/FRAME:030639/0330 Effective date: 20130214 |
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REMI | Maintenance fee reminder mailed | ||
LAPS | Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees |