Image analysis – Image sensing – Hand-held
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-24
2004-01-20
Couso, Jose L. (Department: 2621)
Image analysis
Image sensing
Hand-held
Reexamination Certificate
active
06681062
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a handy type image scanner and, particularly, to an improvement of a structure of a bottom portion of a body of a handy type image scanner employing a contact type image sensor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The handy type image scanner, which is also called as a hand held printed matter scanning device, can pick up an image of an original as an image data for a personal computer by holding a body of the handy type image scanner by a hand of an operator and scanning the original by moving the scanner manually with respect to the original. The handy type image scanner is utilized as a peripheral device of a desk-top or notebook type personal computer. The handy type image scanner includes a contact type image sensor composed of a linear line of tightly arranged photo-electric conversion elements. An image of one full page of a thing such as an original, a photograph or a printed matter is read out by hand-holding the handy type image scanner, putting it on the page of the thing with the linear line of the tightly arranged photo-electric conversion elements of the contact type image sensor thereof being in a main scan direction and manually scanning the one page in a sub scan direction, while electrically scanning the photo-electric conversion elements in the main scan direction.
A conventional handy type image scanner of this type comprises, in addition to the contact type image sensor, rollers for allowing the handy type image scanner to smoothly scan along a surface of the original in the sub scan direction, a transmission unit ganged with the rollers to sense a relative moving distance of the image sensor with respect to the original and a casing, which houses all of the above mentioned components.
The transmission unit is constructed with, for example, a rotary encoder and a gear train for transmitting an amount of rotation of the roller to the encoder.
There are several types of construction of the contact type image sensor. In this description, however, one of them, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H6-291935, will be referred to as an example.
FIG. 1
is a schematic perspective view of the disclosed conventional contact type image sensor. In
FIG. 1
, a light emitting diode (LED) array
1
is a linear light source composed of, for example, a plurality of LED's arranged in a linear line. Illumination light
5
emitted from the LED array
1
illuminates an original
4
and signal light
6
, which is the illumination light
5
reflected from a surface of the original, is collimated by a rod lens array
3
. The signal light
6
passed through the rod lens array
3
is collimated on surfaces of a plurality of optical sensor elements provided on an image sensor substrate
2
whose area size is the same as that of the original
4
, to read an image of the original
4
. The illumination light
5
emitted from the LED array
1
is featured by that it is incident on a surface of the original obliquely. Furthermore, although the image sensor is referred to as of the contact type, a space A is required between the surface of the original and a lower surface of the image sensor substrate
2
since the rod lens array is used. The space A is usually 10 mm to 20 mm.
FIG. 2
is a schematic perspective view of another example of the conventional contact type image sensor. In
FIG. 2
, illumination light
5
emitted from an LED array
1
illuminates a plurality of sensor elements
7
provided on a lower surface of an image sensor substrate
2
. Each sensor element
7
is formed in a peripheral portion with a plurality of openings (not shown) for allowing the illumination light
5
to pass therethrough. The illumination light
5
passed through these openings formed in the peripheral portions of the sensor elements enters into optical fibers
12
provided in a fiber array plate
11
to illuminate an original
4
. Signal light
6
, which is the illumination light
5
reflected from the original
4
, passes through the optical fibers
12
in a reverse direction to the sensor elements
7
to read the signal, respectively. A roller
10
functions to move the original
4
in a sub scan direction.
Although not shown, a plurality of switching elements for switching the respective optical sensor elements in order to scan the original
4
in a main scan direction by the optical sensor elements and output read-out signals of the respective optical sensor elements in time series, a drive circuit for driving these switching elements and a wiring therefor are provided on the image sensor substrate, in addition to the plurality of the optical sensor elements.
Now, an operation of the handy type image scanner will be described with reference to
FIGS. 3A and 3B
, in which
FIG. 3A
is a schematic functional cross section of the conventional handy type image scanner mounted with the conventional contact type image sensor shown in FIG.
1
and
FIG. 3B
is a bottom view of the handy type image scanner shown in FIG.
3
A.
In this handy type image scanner, the contact type image sensor is provided within a housing
51
composed of a cover member
52
and a bottom plate
53
. The roller
10
and a pair of rollers
50
A and
50
B are provided in the bottom plate
53
and the rod lens array
3
of the contact type image sensor is provided in the housing
51
.
For a reading in a main scan direction in parallel to a horizontal direction in
FIG. 3B
, image signals in the form of photoelectric charge corresponding to luminous energy are read out sequentially from the respective optical sensors on a lower surface of the image sensor substrate
2
of the contact type image sensor. In reading the image signals, the illumination light
5
emitted from the LED array
1
passes through the bottom plate
53
to the original
4
and the signal light
6
, which is the illumination light
5
reflected from the original
4
, is collimated by the rod lens array
3
, so that luminous energy of the signal light is read out by the optical sensor elements on the image sensor substrate
2
.
For a reading in the sub scan direction in parallel to a vertical direction in
FIG. 3B
, the operator slides the handy type image scanner vertically on the original
4
with an aid of the rollers
10
,
50
A and
50
B. In this case, the reading position of the handy type image scanner with respect to the original is detected by the rotary encoder ganged with the roller
10
through the gear train. Although three rollers are used in the shown case, the number of rollers is determined such that a distance between the original
4
and the image sensor substrate
2
is maintained constant and a smooth movement of the handy type image scanner with respect to the original is obtained.
This structure is featured by that it is necessary to provide a space between the rod lens array
3
constituting the contact type image sensor and the upper surface of the original since the illumination light
5
from the LED array is incident on the original obliquely and that a distance between the upper surface of the rod lens array
3
and the lower surface of the image sensor substrate
2
is made equal to the distance between the lower surface of the rod lens array
3
and the original by positioning the lower surface of the rod lens array
3
coplanar with or inside of the lower surface of the bottom plate
53
. Furthermore, the housing
51
can slide smoothly on the surface of the original with the aide of the three rollers.
The reading in the main scan direction is performed in the same manner as that of the described contact type image sensor.
As to the reading in the sub scan direction, the operator manually slides the handy type image scanner vertically on the original
4
by utilizing the rollers. In this case, the reading position of the handy type image scanner with respect to the original is detected by the rotary encoder ganged with the roller
10
through the gear train, which is not shown.
In the case of the handy type image s
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