WO2000022808A1

WO2000022808A1 - Method and device for automatic digitization of documents, especially documents located inside microfilm jackets

Info

Publication number: WO2000022808A1
Application number: PCT/DE1999/003268
Authority: WO
Inventors: Axel Baumann; Helmut Hilger; Wilfried Jens
Original assignee: Axel Baumann; Helmut Hilger; Wilfried Jens
Priority date: 1998-10-12
Filing date: 1999-10-07
Publication date: 2000-04-20
Also published as: EP1046274A1; DE19846899C2; DE19846899A1; JP2002528001A

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for automatic digitization of documents, especially documents located inside microfilm jackets, comprising a digital camera, a document support disposed beneath the camera and a lighting device mounted beneath the document support. The invention is characterized by the following steps: a) placing a stack of documents to be processed on a feed tray; b) automatic insertion of the bottom document on the feed tray into the document support; c) automatic alignment of the document support and the document in relation to the exposure area of the digital camera; d) automatic illumination and digitization of the documents and storage of captured data and e) automatic extraction of the document from the document support to the delivery tray. The invention is also characterized by sensor and computer-aided surveillance of the filling level of the document feed and delivery trays, the alignment of documents and the conveyance of documents from the feed tray to the document support and from the document support to the delivery tray.

Description

Method and device for the automatic digitization of templates, in particular documents located on microfilm jackets

The invention relates to a method for the automatic digitization of templates, in particular documents located on microfilm attachments, and a device therefor.

Such a method is described in DE 197 29 142. In the previously known method, a camera equipped with a flat CCD chip is used in order to fully automatically scan, digitize and digitize the documents, such as X-ray images, micro-fiches, microfilm jackets etc., stored on a document carrier underneath the camera, and to digitize the digital data on a PC for storage and connected data processing systems for further processing or archiving. This involves working with a template recognition, by means of which the recording area is matched to the corresponding template size or to the size of the documents on the templates.

A disadvantage of this method, however, is that each template must be placed on the template carrier by hand before the digitization process can be started.

With the number of documents that have grown over the years for companies, administrations and hospitals, which have to be digitized for more convenient handling and space reasons, the time factor plays a significant role in the digitization and storage of the documents. As a result of the cumbersome handling when feeding the templates, for example when processing microfilm jackets, only a throughput of 30 to 60 jackets per hour can be achieved. This means that new jackets have to be inserted by hand every 1 to 2 minutes. This requires the constant presence of an operator during digitization.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of carrying out a method of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that the throughput can be increased considerably and the permanent presence of an operator is not necessary.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which is suitable and inexpensive for carrying out the method.

The invention solves the first part of this task by carrying out a process in which a stack of originals is inserted into a receiving magazine, from which the lowest template is automatically drawn into the template carrier and the template together with the template carrier is automatically aligned so that by the DE 197 29 142 known digitization process can be carried out fully automatically. After digitization and storage of the data obtained, the template is automatically transported from the template carrier to a storage magazine.

The entire pull-in and pull-out process is monitored by sensors and controlled by the computer, which relates in particular to the transport process, the pulling-out process and the filling status of the receiving magazine and storage magazine. The sequence control as described in DE 197 29 142 only has to be supplemented by a signal exchange, which is described in detail below.

The throughput can be doubled by the method according to the invention. In addition, this offers automatic have the further advantage that several digitizing devices can easily be operated in parallel with just one operator, which immediately leads to further considerable increases in productivity and a reduction in the proportionate labor costs, since the remaining manual work processes involve the regular insertion of a stack of jackets into the recording magazine and the removal of the Have already processed jackets from the storage magazine restricted.

A preferred procedure is given by the features of claim 2, in which the template is pushed from the receiving magazine onto a conveyor belt by means of a roller, the template carrier is moved to the end of the conveyor belt and takes over the template from the conveyor belt, the template by means of a sensor-controlled Slider is positioned on the original carrier, the original carrier with the original is moved into the exposure position, the exposure and digitization process is carried out and then the original carrier is moved together with the original from the exposure region towards the storage magazine and there a roller system for transporting the roller system from a sensor-controlled slide Submission is fed into the filing magazine.

Although microfilm jackets are always referred to as templates in the following, the invention is of course not restricted to this. By changing the corresponding magazines and the associated template carrier, dimensionally deviating microfilm templates can also be digitized easily in the aforementioned manner, i.e. automatically.

The microfilm jackets to be digitized are placed in a stack of approx. 200 to 300 pieces (corresponding to a worklist for several hours) in the recording magazine and the automatic is then started.

The original carrier, which can be moved in the xy direction, is moved into the take-over position by the stepper motor control integrated in DE 197 29 142. Reaching the correct end position is checked by means of appropriately arranged optoelectronic sensors.

The document support will be from the sequencer to Lokali ^¬ tion of all on the original frames (documents) contained moved to the Einmeßposition and then released to the actual well-known digitization process. According to claim 3, the original carrier is moved together with the original below the recording area of the digital camera in the x-y direction until the last document on the original has been digitized.

The second part of the above-mentioned object is achieved by means of a device for the automatic digitization of templates, in particular documents located on microfilm jackets, with a camera equipped with a flat CCD chip, a lighting device and an original carrier arranged above it, which is characterized by a recording - Memagazin for the originals to be processed, a template carrier with foldable cover glass that can be moved in the xy direction by stepper motors, a deposit magazine for the processed originals as well as transport devices for the originals from the receiving magazine to the original carrier as well as from the original carrier to the deposit magazine, the transport devices from below into the receiving magazine reaching electromotively driven feeder roller, an electromotively driven conveyor belt adjacent to the pull-out opening of the receiving magazine, to which the original carrier connects, and a m there are pull-out roller systems arranged downstream of the document carrier, with a slide which can be moved in the transport direction and vertically to it and which can be lowered onto the document, is arranged above the plane of the document carrier, on the pull-in and pull-out sides.

The feeder roll has a roughened surface made of silicone rubber for an optimal frictional connection to the jacket to be pulled in. A fixed, rubberized retaining roller, which is located above the feeder roller and is provided above the pull-out opening of the receiving magazine, prevents that several jackets lying on top of each other are pulled in at the same time. For better guidance of the originals on the conveyor belt, according to claim 6, resiliently arranged rollers, which run synchronously with the conveyor belt speed, are arranged above the conveyor belt, which ensure perfect further transport of the drawn-in template by the resilient pressure.

The conveyor belt transports the original onto the original carrier. For correct positioning of the template on this slide, which according to claim 8 consists of a bottom glass, to which the cover glass is attached by means of a hinge, is used a slide arranged above the level of the template, which can be moved in the direction of transport and can be placed on the template with a rubberized surface is. The movements of this slide are monitored and controlled by sensors.

After the original is placed in the correct position on the original carrier, the original carrier moves into the defined receiving position. After the template has been digitized, the template carrier moves together with the template in the direction of the deposit magazine, which is pulled off from the template carrier by a second slide comparable to the first and fed to a transport roller system as claimed in claim 7. The electromotively driven counter-rotating rollers, which were arranged in pairs and one above the other, then transported the processed template into the storage magazine. As soon as the storage magazine has reached a certain level or the storage magazine is empty (both are monitored by optoelectronic sensors or limit switches and the sequence control is reported), the system is switched off.

Both when inserting the original into the original carrier and when removing the original from the original carrier, the cover slip is approx. Folded up 30 °. This is done by means of toggle lever gears, such a toggle lever mechanism being provided on the pull-in side and a further one on the pull-out side. The push rod of the toggle lever ^mechanism is brought into engagement with a pin located on the side of the cover glass, and the cover is pushed up by pushing it forward and the cover is moved back into the support position by moving back.

The weight of the cover glass ensures that the original is placed absolutely flat on the bottom glass of the original carrier.

The template hold-down device mentioned in claim 8 ensure that the template does not adhere to the cover glass due to adhesive forces or static charging when the cover glass is folded up.

So that the transfer of the template from the conveyor belt to the template carrier can be carried out without any problems, it is further provided that the leading edge is rounded.

Possible device-specific configurations of sensory monitoring are given by claims 9 to 12.

This results in the following signal exchange between sequence control of the digitizing device and the automatic transport device:

Jackets in the stacking magazine available (light barrier)

Original carrier / slide in takeover position (light barrier)

Originals / slide in ejection position (light barrier) Cover glass / original carrier open (limit switch) Slider in the idle position (end position switch) Slider on the master carrier lowered (light barrier) Slider in end position (end position switch) Jacket lies correctly on the original carrier / slide (light barrier)

Document carrier / carriage is empty (light barrier) Feeder roller is running (Hall sensor / drive feedback) Conveyor belt is running (Hall sensor / drive feedback) Transport rollers are running (Hall sensor / drive feedback) Extractor in rest position (limit switch) Extractor on document carrier lowered (light barrier)

1. Extractor in end position (end position switch)

2nd pair of ejection transport rollers is running (Hall sensor / drive) Ejection transport roller pair is running (Hall sensor / drive) Transport path / intake is free (light barrier) Transport path / ejection is free (light barrier) Jacket storage is full (limit switch)

The following switching commands are routed from the sequence control to the automatic transport direction:

Feeder roller drive "On" conveyor belt "On" Transport roller drive "On" 1. Push rod drive "Forward"

1. Push rod drive "back"

2. Push rod drive "forward"

2. Push rod drive "Back" slide-on drive "Next" slide-on drive "Back" puller drive "Next" puller drive "Back"

1. Ejection conveyor roller drive "On"

2. Auswur transport roller drive "On"

The invention is illustrated below with reference to drawings and explained in more detail.

Show it: _1: automatic feed device in a schematic representation in supervision,

2 _: feed device according to FIG. 1 in side view,

3 _: in a broken-away view, the feed device according to FIG. 2 with the slide-open mechanism attached,

4: representation according to FIG. 3 with the slider open,

5: in broken representation according to FIG. 3 feed device with attached extractor,

6: representation according to FIG. 5 with the extractor lifted,

7: original carrier in perspective,

8: original carrier in the closed state in longitudinal section,

9: Original carrier with toggle lever mechanism for the cover slip,

10: area below the digital camera in supervision,

11: View according to FIG. 10 in side view.

1 and 2, an automatic feed device for a device for digitizing, for example, microfilm jackets is shown and generally provided with the reference number 1. It consists of a receiving magazine 2 for a stack of microfilm jackets 3 to be processed, a storage magazine 4 for the processed microfilm jackets 3, a template carrier 5 arranged between the two magazines 2 and 4, which can be moved in the xy direction on a lighting device 6. Between the receiving magazine 2 and the document carrier 5, a conveyor belt 7 is arranged, which on the one hand to the Auszugöf opening 8 of the receiving magazine 2 and on the other hand to the Lighting device 6 reaches. A feeder roll 9 extending into the magazine 2 is arranged below it. In the area of the pull-out opening 8 there is a retaining roller 10 which ensures that only one jacket 3 is pulled out of the magazine 2 by the feeder roller 9. Spring-mounted transport rollers 11 are provided above the conveyor belt 7. On the side of the lighting device 6 assigned to the storage magazine 4 there is a roller system 12, which consists of opposing rollers 13 which interact in pairs.

The recording area of the digital camera, not shown, is identified by reference numeral 14.

1 and 2, the original carrier 5 has moved up to the conveyor belt 7 with the cover glass 114 folded up. The situation is shown in which a microfilm jacket 3 is pushed onto the conveyor belt 7 by means of the feeder roller 9, from where it is conveyed onto the original carrier 5 via the conveyor belt 7 with the aid of the conveyor rollers 11.

Here, a slide (push-on) 15, which can be moved in the transport direction and perpendicular to it, takes over the correct positioning of the microfilm jacket 3 by placing the push-on device 15 provided with a rubber layer 16 on the microfilm jacket 3 and, by appropriate control, the jacket precisely aligns.

FIG. 4 shows the state in which the microfilm jacket 3 has reached the correct position and the pusher 15 has been lifted off the microfilm jacket 3 and moved back into the waiting position.

Now the original carrier 5 is moved into the receiving position and after the exposure and digitization has taken place, the original carrier 5 is moved together with the original in the direction of the roller system 12. The cover glass 114 is folded up again and another slide (extractor) 15 'is countered the direction of transport over the microfilm jacket 3 and deposited there, as shown in Fig. 5. The extractor 15 'pushes the microfilm jacket 3 from the original carrier 5 and feeds it to the roller system 12. It is gripped by the first pair of transport rollers 13 and transported to the second pair of rollers 13, which conveys the processed microfilm jacket 3 into the storage magazine 4. This process is shown in FIG. 6, wherein the extractor 15 'has been moved away in the transport direction and has lifted off the microfilm jacket 3.

7 shows a perspective view of the template carrier 5. This consists of a bottom glass 16 to which the cover glass 114 is articulated by means of a hinge 17. At the entrance and exit of the document carrier 5 16 hold-downs 18 are arranged at a distance from the bottom glass. At the upper corners of the cover slip 114 there are pins 19, the function of which is shown in more detail in FIG. 9. A toggle lever mechanism 20 is arranged on the pull-in and pull-out sides, which engages with its push rod 21, which has a fork-like receptacle 22 at its free end, on the respective pin 19 of the cover slip 114 and the cover slip 114 by advancing through an angle of α. lifts. The angle can be 30 °, for example. By moving the push rod 21, the cover glass 114 is lowered again onto the bottom glass 16 or onto the template 3 located thereon.

Both states are shown in FIG. 9.

8 shows a longitudinal section through the original carrier 5 in the closed state with the microfilm jacket 3 placed on it.

The hold-down devices 18 are shown on the input side and on the output side.

The area below the camera is shown in plan view in FIG. 10. The transport systems as well as the magazines are omitted to clarify the illustration. The original carrier 5 is displaceable in the xy direction within a frame 23. bar. A microfilm jacket 3, on which some documents 24 to be digitized are indicated, is located on the original carrier 5. The state is shown when one of these documents 24 has been moved into the recording area 14 of the camera. The individual documents 24 are moved to this area 14 one after the other and digitized.

FIG. 11 shows a side view of the device part according to FIG. 10, the digital camera being designated here by 25.

The digitized data are stored in a PC, not shown, which also controls the digitization process and the pull-in process for the microfilm jackets 3.

Optoelectronic sensors (light barriers) are used to control the document carrier 5 and the settling movement of the slides 15, 15 '(slider, puller) and to monitor the filling status of the receiving magazine 2, while to monitor the filling status of the storage magazine 4 and to move the slider horizontally 15.15 'limit switches are provided.

The drives of the same Hall sensors are assigned to monitor the rotational movement of the feeder roller or the transport rollers.

The original carrier 5 is moved in the x-y direction by means of stepper motors controlled by a PC.

Claims

1. A method for the automatic digitization of templates, in particular documents located on microfilm jackets, with a digital camera, a template carrier arranged below the digital camera and a lighting device arranged below the template carrier, characterized by a) inserting a stack of templates to be processed into a recording magazine (2) , b) automatic insertion of the lowest template (3) in the receiving magazine (2) into the original carrier

(5), c) automatic alignment of the original carrier (5) and the original (3) in relation to the recording area (14) of the digital camera (25), d) automatic exposure and digitization of the documents located on the respective original (3)

(24) and storage of the data obtained, e) automatic extraction of the template (3) from the template carrier (5) into a storage magazine (4), and by means of the sensor-based, computer-controlled monitoring of the filling status of the storage and storage magazine (2,4 ), the orientation of the original and the Transport of the originals (3) from the receiving magazine (2) to the original carrier (5) and from the original carrier (5) to the storage magazine (4).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the template (3) by means of a roller (9) from the receiving magazine (2) is pushed onto a conveyor belt (7), the original carrier (5) to the end of the conveyor belt (7) is brought up and from the conveyor belt (7) takes over the template (3), the template (3) is positioned on the template carrier (5) by means of a sensor-controlled slide (15), the template carrier (5) with the template (3) into the Is moved to the receiving position, the exposure and digitization process is carried out and then the original carrier (5) is moved together with the original (3) from the receiving area (14) towards the storage magazine (4) and there by a sensor-controlled extractor (15 ' ) a roller system (12) for transporting the template (3) into the storage magazine (4).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the original carrier (5) is moved together with the original (3) below the recording area (14) of the digital camera (25) in the xy direction to the on the template (3rd ) digitize contained documents (24) one after the other.

4. Device for the automatic digitization of templates, in particular documents located on microfilm jackets, with a camera equipped with a flat CCD chip, a lighting device and a template carrier arranged above it, characterized by a recording magazine (2) for the templates to be processed (3) , a document carrier (5) with a foldable cover glass (114), which can be moved in the xy direction by stepper motors Storage magazine (4) for the processed templates (3) as well as transport devices for the templates (3) from the receiving magazine (2) to the document carrier (5) and from the document carrier (5) to the magazine (4), the transport devices from one below Electromotive driven feeder roller (9) reaching into the receiving magazine (2), an electromotive driven conveyor belt (7) adjacent to the pull-out opening (8) of the receiving magazine (2), to which the original carrier (5) connects, and one of the original carrier (5 ) downstream pull-out roller system (12), wherein on the pull-in and pull-out sides a slider (15, 15 '), which can be moved in the transport direction and vertically to it, is arranged above the level of the original carrier.

5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that a retaining roller (10) is arranged above the pull-out opening (8) of the receiving magazine (2).

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that above the conveyor belt (7) resiliently lying, synchronized with the conveyor belt speed rollers (11) are arranged.

7. Device according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the exhaust-side roller system (12) consists of electromotively driven pairs of mutually superposed, interacting opposing rollers (13).

8. Device according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the cover glass (114) by means of a hinge (17) parallel to the transport direction on one of the original- Base (5) forming bottom glass (16) is attached and the pivoting drive consists of a toggle and extract side provided toggle lever mechanism (20) and attached to the bottom glass (16), infeed and exit side arranged transversely to the direction of transport at a distance from the bottom glass (16) Template hold-down devices (18) are provided.

9. Device according to one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that for the detection and control of the positioning of the correct position of the original (3) on the original carrier (5) and the original carrier (5) optoelectronic sensors are provided.

10 Device according to one of claims 4 to 9, characterized in that for monitoring the loading condition of the magazine

(2.4) sensors are provided.

11. Device according to one of claims 4 to 10, characterized in that the axial movement of the slide (15, 15 ') can be monitored by limit switches and the vertical movement by optoelectronic sensors.

12. Device according to one of claims 4 to 11, characterized in that the drives of the transport rollers (9,13) and the conveyor belt (7) for monitoring the rotational movement are assigned to Hall sensors.

13. The device according to one of claims 4 to 12, characterized in that the feeder roller (9), the transport rollers (11, 13) and the bearing areas of the slide (15, 15 ') have a surface with a high coefficient of friction.