Image analysis – Color image processing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-21
2002-06-11
Grant, II, Jerome (Department: 2624)
Image analysis
Color image processing
C382S232000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06404915
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image apparatus, and more particularly to an image acquiring apparatus.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Image input devices have become a common tool for input of pictures in the real world into a computing environment. These input devices have historically captured the picture by either capturing the image as a one dimensional signal (such as the signal from an image sensor with a linear structure) or as a two-dimensional signal (such as the sigal of video of interlaced or non-interlaced types or other instantaneous capture apparatus).
Most computing devices and computers, particularly personal computers, have limited external I/O ports for connecting thereto peripheral devices. A typical PC contains maybe a single parallel interface port and two serial ports, or two serial bus ports. This usually results in port conflicts that requires cable swapping operations and often system software configuration changes. The parallel interface port is usually connected to (1) a printing device, (2) an external storage device for backup or high density transmission, (3) a scanner image input devices, and increasingly (4) other image acquisition devices such as video capture devices.
In addition to physical port limitation, the software set up in Windows (Mcrosoft Trademark)-based system supporting image acquisition devices is still in developmental stages, with existing standards co-existing with emerging standards (e.g. TWAIN, Still-Image-Architecture, Video-for-Windows, and Imaging-classes . . . etc. wherein TWAIN stands for Technology Without An Interesting Name and is an industry standard, and we can find its details at url:http://www.twain.org). This usually results in device operational conflicts, increased cost as devices have to support port switching circuits, and frequently system crashes. It also requires complex system cabling and switching as illustrated in
FIG. 1
, which shows a first switch
1
connected to a personal computer
2
for switching between an image scanner
3
and a video capturer
4
, and a second switch
5
connected to image scanner
3
for switching between a printer
6
and an external storage
7
.
When one examines the general. architecture of a one dimensional image acquisition device such as a scanner, one finds a structure that is shown in
FIG. 2
which represents the majority of scanner architectures on the market today and includes a linear signal source
11
, an analog-to-digital converter
12
, a control, storage interface and digital processing unit
13
, a timing control unit
14
, a storage or memory unit
15
and an input/output unit
16
.
Two dimensional image acquisition has two major types of sources: video from consumer and professional video devices and digital cameras. There exists on the market a number of video capture devices for capturing 2-D images in the PC environment. They have one of two general architect as outlined in
FIG. 3
which shows a digital camera
21
as the first architecture, and the combination of a video capture device
22
, an A/D converter
23
, a video timing & frame grab control unit
24
, a storage unit
25
and an input/output unit
26
as the second architecture.
There exists also multi-function devices such as the scanner-fax-copier-printer combination.
FIG. 4
shows how they are implemented by using common the I/O structure. In general, they have a singular image acquisition function. In
FIG. 4
, there is shown a multi-function peripheral hardware architecture including a personal computer
31
, a first switch
32
, a print mechanism
33
, a print controller
34
, a second switch
35
, a scanning mechanism
36
, a scanning controller
37
, facsimile electronics
38
and a POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) line
39
. In such configuration, the positions of first and second switches
32
,
35
will determine the operation mode which can be tabulated as follows:
Switch Positions
Mode
A-C
Illegal
A-D
Printer
B-C
Fax Output or Copier
B-D
Print Fax Input
Other than sharing I/O switches, the above combination, however, exists little synergy between relevant functional blocks.
Till now, as shown in
FIG. 5
, any one who wants to simultaneously or optionally acquire 1D images and 2D images, he or she must equip himself or herself with two independent hardware units and two independent software programs which include for 1D image acquisition, a hardware unit
41
, a driver software
42
, an operating system component (e.g. TWAIN)
43
and an application software
44
, and for 2D image acquisition, a hardware
45
, a driver software
46
, an operating system component (e.g. Video for Windows (VFW) or Still-Image-Architecture (SIA))
47
and an application software
48
.
It is therefore tried by the Applicant to deal with the above situations encountered in the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an image acquiring apparatus for selectably acquiring 1D image signal and 2D image signal.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a single image acquiring apparatus having a simplified structure for selectably acquiring a 1D image signal and a 2D image signal.
It is additional an object of the present invention to provide a convenient image acquiring apparatus allowing the user to selectably acquire 1D image signal and 2D image signal.
According to an aspect of the present invention, an image acquiring apparatus includes an image signal acquisition device selectably acquiring therethtrough a 1D image signal and a 2D image signal, an image acquisition control directly or indirectly electrically connected to and controlling the image signal acquisition device to selectably acquire one of the 1D signal and the 2D signal, a memory directly or indirectly electrically connected to the image acquisition control for storage, a pixel processing unit directly or indirectly electrically connected to the image acquisition control for processing one of the 1D image signal and the 2D image signal, an input/output interface directly or indirectly electrically connected to the image acquisition control, and a selecting mechanism directly or indirectly electrically connected to the signal acquisition device for passing one of the 1D image signal and the 2D image signal through the pixel processing unit.
Certainly, the ire acquisition device can include a 1D analog acquisition unit for acquiring theretrough the 1D image signal, and a 2D analog acquisition unit for acquiring therethrough the 2D image signal. The 1D analog acquisition unit and the 2D analog acquisition unit can respectively be a 1D image sensor and a 2D image sensor.
Alternatively, the present image acquisition device can include a 1D image digitizer for acquiring therethrough the 1D image signal, and a 2D digital demodulating device for acquiring therethrough the 2D image signal. The 2D digital demodulating device can include a 2D sensor, an analog-to-digital converter and a digital demodulator.
As further an alternative, the present image acquisition device can include a 1D image means for acquiring therethrough the 1D image signal, and a 2D image means for acquiring therethtrough the 2D image signal. Each of said 1D image means and 2D image means can include an image sensing device and a signal digitizer. The signal digitizer can be an analog-to-digital converter. Alternatively, each of the 1D image means and the 2D image me=can be an image sensor. The image sensor can incorporate therein an image digitizer The image digitizer can be an analog-to-digital converter.
Certainly, the selecting mechanism can be electrically connected to the pixel processing unit As an example, the selecting mechanism can be selecting switch controlled by a software built in the pixel processing unit. Alternatively, the selecting mechanism can be a multiplexer.
Alternatively, the selecting mechanism can be built in the image acquisition device for discriminating the 1D image signal from from the 2D image signal. As a further example, the selecting m
Ahuja Vipin
Goble Simon
Truog Michael
Yung Benjamin
Grant II Jerome
Knobbe Martens & Olson Bear LLP.
Silitek Corporation
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