Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Size – resolution – or scale control
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-17
2002-03-05
Coles, Edward (Department: 2622)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Size, resolution, or scale control
C358S296000, C358S296000, C346S140100, C346S141000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06353485
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an image input/output apparatus, image input/output processing method and cartridge and, more particularly to an image input/output apparatus and an image input/output processing method for reading an original image and for printing an image on a print sheet and to a cartridge used for reading the original image.
Conventionally, a printer having a printhead for printing according to an ink-jet method or thermal transfer method, attached to a carriage, is used as an output device for a personal computer, a word processor and the like. The printer prints an image on a print sheet by scanning the carriage.
Further, a printer is known that can operate as a scanner. The printer reads an original image by using an image reading unit such as a COD having a photoelectric conversion function. The image reading unit is mounted on the carriage in place of the printhead. The printer inputs the read image data into a personal computer, a word processor or the like.
However, in the above conventional printer, the image printing width and the printing resolution of the printhead are somewhat different from the image reading width and the reading resolution of the image reading unit. In this case, as the printing period of the image printing operation is different from the image reading period of the image reading operation, the moving speed of the carriage to move the printhead and that to move the image reading unit are different. This complicates controls of carriage motors, and increases the memory capacity for storing information necessary for these controls, thus increasing the production cost of the apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image input/output apparatus and image input/output processing method which enable image printing and image reading with simple control.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cartridge used for reading an original with easy control.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing an image input/output apparatus capable of performing an image output or original image reading by attaching to a carriage either an exchangeable printhead for printing an image on a print medium or exchangeable image reading head for reading an original image. The apparatus includes a scanning unit which scans the carriage; print period generation means for generating a print period control signal corresponding to a period of driving the printhead; and reading period generation means for generating a reading period control signal corresponding to a period of a reading operation by the image reading head, based on the printing period control signal. When reading the original image by attaching the image reading head to the carriage, the reading operation is performed based on the reading period control signal generated by the reading period generation means.
It is preferable that the printhead includes a plurality of print elements, the image reading head includes a plurality of reading elements, and a printing width corresponding to the plurality of print elements of the printhead and a reading width corresponding to the plurality of reading elements of the image reading head are the same.
In this case, it is more preferable that:
a printing resolution by the plurality of print elements of the printhead and a reading resolution by the plurality of reading elements of the image reading head are the same,
a spatial interval of the plurality of print elements of the printhead and a spatial interval of the plurality of reading elements of the image reading head are the same, or
the number of the plurality of printing elements of the printhead and the number of the plurality of reading elements of the image reading head are the same.
It is also preferable that a period of the printing period control signal and that of the reading period control signal are the same.
It is also preferable that the reading period generation means generates the reading period control signal as a signal obtained by multiplying a period of the printing period control signal by an integer. By doing this, it is possible that a reading resolution of the image reading head in the reading operation is reduced to a printing resolution of the printhead part of an integer, using the reading period control signal generated by the reading period generation means.
Further, as another preferred embodiment, if the reading period control signal is a clock pulse signal having a predetermined frequency, it is possible that the reading period generation means generates another clock pulse signal whose frequency is the predetermined frequency part of an integer, and a reading resolution of the image reading head in the reading operation is reduced to a printing resolution of the printhead part of the integer, using the reading period control signal generated by the reading period generation means.
Furthermore, as still another preferred embodiment, it is preferable that the reading period generation means generates the reading period control signal as a signal having a period obtained by dividing a period of the printing period control signal by an integer. By doing this, it is possible that a reading resolution of the image reading head in the reading operation is increased to the integral multiple of a printing resolution of said printhead, by using the reading period control signal generated by the read period generation means.
On the other hand, if the printing period control signal is a clock pulse signal having a predetermined frequency, it is possible that the reading period generation means generates another clock pulse signal whose frequency is an integral multiple of the predetermined frequency, and a reading resolution of the image reading head in the reading operation is increased to the integral multiple of a printing resolution of the printhead, by using the reading period control signal generated by the reading period generation means.
It is preferable that the image reading head includes: a light-emitting device, such as an LED, emitting light on the original; and a photo-reception device, such as a photoelectric transducer which generates an electric signal in accordance with received light intensity, receiving the light which has been emitted by the light-emitting device and reflected by the original.
As described above, in a case where the printhead includes a plurality of print elements, and the image reading head includes a plurality of reading elements, it may be arranged that a printing resolution by the plurality of print elements of the printhead and a reading resolution by the plurality of reading elements of the image reading head are different from each other, and the printing resolution is neither an integral multiple of the reading resolution nor the reading resolution part of an integer.
In this case, it is more preferable that:
a spatial interval of the plurality of print elements of the printhead and a spatial interval of the plurality of reading elements of the image reading head are different from each other, or
a period of the printing period control signal is neither an integral multiple of a period of the reading period control signal nor a value obtained by dividing the period of the reading period control signal by an integer.
By doing this, if the printing period control signal is a clock pulse signal having a predetermined frequency, and it is possible that the reading period generation means generates another clock pulse signal whose frequency is neither the integral multiple of the predetermined frequency nor the predetermined frequency part of the integer.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the apparatus further comprises regulation means for synchronizing a signal pulse of the reading period control signal generated by the reading period generation means with a signal pulse of the printing period control signal at predetermined intervals. In this case, it is preferable that the predetermine
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Coles Edward
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Lams Twlyer
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