Registers – Coded record sensors – Particular sensor structure
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-05
2004-04-06
Le, Thien M. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Coded record sensors
Particular sensor structure
C235S462120
Reexamination Certificate
active
06715686
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for recording information of the type mentioned in the preamble to the appended claim 1.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years, the use of computers has increased among many very geographically mobile occupational groups. One reason for this is that one can work more efficiently by having direct access to a large amount of information while at the same time having good capabilities for processing new information simply and efficiently.
For this purpose, various types of portable computers have been developed. Equipped with suitable software, these types of computers provide excellent capabilities for processing and managing information in text as well as image format.
A drawback of these portable computers is that inputting information by the intermediary of a keyboard is often time-consuming in comparison with the time required for processing the information once it has been fed into the computer. In order to achieve faster and more efficient inputting, there have been attempts at finding simpler ways of feeding the information into the computer. In some cases, the text which is to be fed into the computer is replaced by a numerical code, for instance in the case of vehicle inspections. However, this requires more of the user, who has to keep track of several codes, which increases the risk of input errors.
In the daily work of many occupational groups there is a need for a simple way of putting together image and text information. Examples of this include various types of service and maintenance staff who work from some type of protocol and who wish to verify that a certain operation has been carried out; policemen at the site of an accident who wish to gather image data as well as personal data concerning witnesses, etc.; and researchers and other individuals whose work involves information retrieval and who wish to put together text and images from a number of different written documents.
In order to achieve more efficient inputting of information in these and similar situations one could use other input units, such as a scanner which records text information from a surface when it is passed over the same and a digital camera which takes pictures and stores them digitally so that they can be transferred to a computer for processing.
Scanners of both the stationary and the portable type are available. Stationary scanners are preferably used in connection with the recording of whole pages with printed text and image information, the scanner being passed over the page at a constant speed. The information is recorded by means of a light-sensitive sensor, which in stationary scanners often consists of a line sensor.
However, in most of the above situations, rather than the recording of a whole page of information a more selective recording of information is desired and, moreover, the scanner must also be easy to carry. For this reason, scanners of the hand-held type are much more interesting in these contexts. The sensors in these scanners can be either of the line type or of the two-dimensional type.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,391, for example, discloses a hand-held scanner for recording text. The scanner has a two-dimensional sensor, which records images of the underlying surface when the scanner is passed over the same.
Another hand-held scanner is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,234. This scanner utilises a line sensor which records a sequence of vertical “slices” of the characters and of the spaces between them when the scanner is passed over the characters on the substrate. The “slices” are stored in the scanner as a digital bitmap. To enable the accurate recording of characters, the scanner is provided with position means in the form of a wheel which must be in contact with the underlying surface in connection with the recording of the characters to record the position of the scanner relative to the surface.
A drawback of using a computer, a scanner, and a digital camera at the same time is that the equipment becomes bulky and the user has to handle several units.
Thus, there is a need for equipment which is easy to handle, enabling fast and reliable recording of selective text and image information in situations of the kind described above in a format facilitating computer processing of the same at a later time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a solution to the above-mentioned problems by providing an improved device for recording information in text and image format.
This object is achieved according to the invention by a device having the features recited in the appended claim 1, with preferred embodiments in the appended claims 2-14.
The invention is based on the understanding that with a light-sensitive sensor with a two-dimensional sensor surface as the starting-point, a text recording function, i.e. a “scanner function”, as well as an image recording function, i.e. a “camera function”, can be easily created in the same device. More specifically, the device is adjustable between a first mode, in which the device is adapted to essentially abut against and be passed over a surface for imaging the same by means of a plurality of images, and a second mode, in which the device is adapted to image an object located at a distance.
The device can be adjusted by the user or automatically by the device if, for example, it detects that the distance to an object within its field of vision changes more than a predetermined value. The adjustment involves the adaptation of the device in some manner, e.g. physically or with respect to software, to make it suitable for use in the mode in question.
The first mode, or the “scanner mode”, is intended for recording information located on a surface over which the device can be passed. The surface need not be plane. It is sufficient that it is even enough to enable the device to be moved in contact with the surface or directly adjacent to the same. The information, which can be said to be “two-dimensional” since it is located on a surface, can be composed of character sequences, e.g. one or several words or one or several sentences selected from a longer text. The characters can be letters, numbers, or other written characters or symbols. It is preferably stored in character-coded format. However, the information may also be composed of image information which is scanned by passing the device over the surface and recording a plurality of images of the image information.
The second mode is preferably used for recording “three-dimensional” information, i.e. when one is required to take pictures of objects. Preferably, in this mode, individual pictures are taken which are stored in image format. Naturally, this mode can also be used for taking pictures of surfaces from a distance, which are stored in image format.
Preferably, the same sensor is employed in both the first and the second mode, but it is also possible to use one sensor for each mode. In the latter case, the adjustment would involve changing the beam path in the device so that the imaging takes place with the aid of one sensor in the first mode and with the aid of the other sensor in the second mode. The beam path can be changed by adjusting one or more components in the device. Alternatively, a first opening with a first fixed beam path can be used in the first mode, and a second opening with a second fixed beam path can used in the second mode. Adjusting between the modes then comprises an adjustment of which sensor is activated for imaging.
It should be noted in this context that a two-dimensional sensor surface refers to the fact that the sensor surface must be able to image a surface with a matrix of pixels so that images with overlapping contents can be recorded.
Preferably, in the first mode, images with partially overlapping contents are recorded. The overlapping contents are used to put together the images to form a composite image, in which there is no duplication of content. Suitably, the putting-together is carried out with the aid of a signal-processing unit
C Technologies AB
Cooper & Dunham LLP
Le Thien M.
Nguyen Kimberly
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