Image analysis – Image compression or coding – Substantial processing of image in compressed form
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-19
2004-11-16
Grant, II, Jerome (Department: 2626)
Image analysis
Image compression or coding
Substantial processing of image in compressed form
C358S474000, C358S475000, C358S487000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06819799
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus, an original reading method and an original conveyance apparatus, and particularly relates to an image reading apparatus for reading each of a plurality of images recorded on an original to be read such as a photographic film, to an original reading method and to an original conveyance apparatus usable for the image reading apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an image processing system is known, in which film images recorded on a photographic film are read by an image reading apparatus including image forming means and an image sensor such as a CCD, and after variously processing resulting image data by correcting it or otherwise, the image is recorded on a recording medium or displayed on a display unit. The photographic film as referred to herein indicates a film with a negative or positive image made visible by developing processing after photographing a subject.
A conventional image reading apparatus of an image processing system of this type used for reading film images comprises preliminary reading (hereinafter referred to as the prescan) means for reading an image with comparative rapidity with a low definition using a film carrier (original conveyance apparatus) for conveying a photographic film in such a manner that each of a plurality of film images recorded on a photographic film passes sequentially through a predetermined reading position, which preliminary reading is for the purpose of increasing the image reading speed, means for determining reading conditions for main reading (hereinafter referred to as the fine scan) for reading an image at a comparatively low rate with a high definition based on the image data obtained by the prescan and various image processing conditions for the image data obtained by the fine scan, and means for conducting the fine scan on the image data and for processing the image data obtained by the fine scan under the processing conditions thus determined.
On the other hand, photographic films to be read are of several types including size 135 and size 240. In order to enable a single image reading apparatus to read a plurality of these photographic films, a film carrier is prepared for each type of photographic film and changed according to the type of the photographic film.
A conventional image reading apparatus using a plurality of film carriers as described above is available in which film images are located at predetermined reading positions for the respective types of the film carrier and focusing is controlled in such a manner that the image-forming position determined by image-forming means and the image sensor position coincide with each other, and the values for the focusing point obtained by the focusing control are stored for each of a plurality of optical magnifications. When reading a plurality of film images continuously, the value for the focusing position corresponding to the optical magnification of each film image is read from the values of the focusing points for each of a plurality of optical magnifications and at least one of the image-forming means a nd the image sensor are moved.
On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open JP-A No. 9-211558 discloses a technique intended for obtaining high-quality image data, comprising an image-forming lens unit having dual functions of magnification adjustment and focusing adjustment (focusing control), in which the focusing is controlled after the magnification adjustment of the image-forming lens unit, after which the magnification of the image-forming lens unit is corrected in accordance with the focusing control. In this way, the focus is controlled accurately, and a projected image of a predetermined size is obtained with an accurate optical magnification, thereby producing a suitable print of high image quality free of vignetting of the lenses.
The technique in which the values of the focusing point are stored for each of a plurality of optical magnifications for each film carrier, however, requires as many focusing control sessions as the optical magnifications for all the film carriers. This gives rise to not only the problem of a considerable time consumed but the problem that a great storage capacity is required due to the requirement that the values of the focusing point obtained from the focusing control are stored for each optical magnification for each film carrier.
The technique disclosed in JP-A No. 211558 described above, on the other hand, poses the problem that for a plurality of images having different optical magnifications to be read continuously with high image quality, the focusing control is required for each image, thereby making high-speed image reading impossible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention, which has been developed in order to resolve the problems described above, is to provide an image reading apparatus capable of shortening processing time without need of a large storage capacity and capable of producing high-quality image data, an image reading method and an original conveyance apparatus capable of using the image reading apparatus.
In order to achieve the object described above, according to a first aspect of a first invention, there is provided an image reading apparatus comprising: a light source for illuminating the light on an original to be read having a plurality of images recorded thereon; conveyance means for conveying the original to be read in such a manner that each of the plurality of images passes through a predetermined reading position sequentially; image-forming means for focusing the light transmitted through the original to be read or the light reflected from the original to be read; an image sensor for separating each of the plurality of images recorded on the original to be read into a plurality of pixels, reading the pixels and outputting the pixels as image data; moving means for moving at least one of at least one portion of the image-forming means, the image sensor, and the original to be read along the optical axis direction of the image-forming means; storage means for storing a first value of a focusing point for each of a plurality of optical magnifications and for storing at least one of at least one second value, which is obtained by controlling the moving means in such a manner as to control the focusing for at least one predetermined optical magnification of the plurality of the optical magnifications for an object located at the reading position, and a difference of the second value and the first value at the predetermined optical magnification with respect to the second value, the first value being obtained by controlling the moving means in such a manner as to control the focusing to attain a coincidence between the image-forming position of a reference object which image-forming position depends on the image-forming means and the position of the image sensor for each of the plurality of optical magnifications; and control means for controlling the moving means in such a manner that at least one of at least one portion of the image-forming means, the image sensor and the original to be read moves to a position based on the first value and on one of the difference and the second value, which are stored in the storage means, at the time of reading one of a portion and the whole of the plurality of images.
With the image reading apparatus according to the first aspect, the original to be read having the plurality of images recorded thereon is illuminated with a light source, the original to be read is conveyed by conveyance means in such a manner that each of the plurality of images passes sequentially through the predetermined reading position, the light transmitted through the original to be read or the light reflected from the original to be read is focused by the image-forming means, and each image recorded on the original to be read is separated into a plurality of pixels by the image sensor and output as image data. Further,
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Grant II Jerome
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