Electrophotography – Diagnostics – Image forming component
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-16
2004-01-06
Pendegrass, Joan (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Diagnostics
Image forming component
C358S406000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06674977
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2001-70013, filed Nov. 12, 2001, in the Korean Industrial Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image scanning device, and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for detecting an error in an image scanning device, determining either the exchange of a light source or the presence of a contaminant in an optical path and then informing of the result of the determination.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an image scanning apparatus is incorporated in a copier, a facsimile machine and a copier-facsimile system. One example of the image scanning apparatus is shown in FIG.
1
.
FIG. 1
shows an image scanning apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,978,614, to Takeuchi, issued Nov. 2, 1999, and
FIG. 2
is a flowchart showing a method of measuring a quantity of light of a lamp by using the image scanning apparatus of FIG.
1
and informing of a time for lamp replacement.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, the image scanning apparatus includes a scanning table unit
11
provided to scan a sheet of document placed on a scanning plate
10
, and a document feeding unit
12
automatically feeding a plurality of sheets of documents for an automatic and sequential scanning of the documents. First and second scanning units
13
and
14
are driven within the stand-by position P
1
, white panel position P
2
, and first and second scanning start positions P
3
and P
4
. The first and second scanning units
13
and
14
are changed to a standby mode when moving to the standby position P
1
by a certain translating means, scan the white panel
15
in the white panel position P
2
, and scan the document in the first and second scanning positions P
3
and P
4
.
Referring to
FIG. 2
, in a so-called Flat Bed Scanner (FBS) that performs a scanning operation by using the scanning table unit
11
, a controller determines whether a start key is selected from a user's manipulation of keys in operation S
10
. If the start key is determined as being selected, the first scanning unit
13
moves to the second scanning position P
4
in operation S
11
. Next, the first scanning unit
13
scans the document while moving to a job completion position P
5
, and at the same time, the image data obtained upon scanning the document is stored in a storage means in operation S
12
. Then the first scanning unit
13
moves to the white panel position P
2
in operation S
13
. The white panel
15
is scanned and detected by a charge coupled device (CCD) sensor
17
in operation S
14
.
The controller determines whether or not white pixels of the image data of the scanned document are less than 90% of a predetermined reference in operation S
15
. When the white pixels of the image data are greater than 90% of the reference, the controller determines a light source
16
emits light appropriately, and compensates the data stored in S
12
and prints an image on the sheets in operation S
16
. Then the first scanning unit
13
moves to the standby position P
1
in operation S
17
.
When the white pixels of the image data are less than 90% of the reference, the controller determines whether the light source
16
emits the light inappropriately. And in this case, the controller deletes the image data stored in the storage means in operation (step S
18
). Then the controller indicates through a certain display device a need for a lamp replacement in operation (step S
19
). Accordingly, the user notices the message in the display and replaces the lamp with a new one so as to maintain the appropriate scanning.
A so-called Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) performs the scanning operation by using the document feeding unit
12
, in a similar manner as the scanning operation of the FBS. The only difference between the FBS and the ADF is that the ADF first scans the white panel
15
, scans the document, and then compares/determines the white pixels of the image data. This is generally because the white panel
15
is placed between the document scanning positions of the FBS and the ADF.
According to the conventional image scanning apparatus as described above, the controller determines that the light quantity of the lamp is inappropriate if the white pixels of the image data of the scanned white panel are less than 90% of the reference. However, the white pixels are sometimes determined as being less than 90% of the reference when there are contaminants disposed in the optical path having a white panel, a mirror, etc.
If the message for the replacement of the lamp is due to the contaminants contained in the optical path, it would be disadvantageous for the user to buy a new lamp that is not actually required. Also, if there is not a sufficient quantity of light due to the presence of the contaminants, the light quantity will still be insufficient even if the user replaces the lamp with a new one.
Also, even when the light quantity of the lamp drops, if taking into account of the fact that the amplifier could compensate the lamp, the detection of error of the scanning apparatus can hardly be accurate only by comparing and determining the light quantity of the lamp.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to overcome the problems of the related art, and accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of detecting an error in an image scanning device, which is improved so as to distinguish a need for a lamp replacement from a contamination of an optical path, and inform the result of the detection accordingly.
Additional objects and advantageous of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
The above and other objects are accomplished by a method of detecting an error in an image scanning device that obtains image data when a document is scanned by using a light beam radiated from a lamp according to the present invention. The method includes a setting operation of obtaining initial reference values of a light quantity of the lamp and storing the obtained initial reference values in a memory, a storing operation of measuring the light quantity of the lamp during use of an image scanning system, obtaining measured values for comparing with the initial reference values, and storing the measured values in the memory, and a comparing/determining operation of determining whether to check a presence of error in the lamp or to check a presence of contaminant in an optical path by comparing the initial reference values with the measured values.
The setting operation includes scanning a white panel, extracting a light quantity from the scanned white panel, calculating a reference value R and an initial average value A from the extracted light quantity of the white panel, storing the calculated reference value R and the initial average value A in the memory, dividing the white panel into a number of pixel divisions n, and calculating initial divisional values B
1
~Bn of light quantities of the respective pixel divisions and storing the calculated initial divisional values B
1
~Bn in the memory.
The storing operation includes extracting a light quantity of a white value by scanning a white panel, obtaining measured average value a and a minimum value m of the light quantity from the extracted light quantity of the white value, storing the obtained average value a and the minimum value m in the memory, dividing the white value into divided values of pixel divisions n, and calculating measured divisional values b
1
~bn of the light quantity of the respective n pixel divisions n and storing the calculated measured divisional values b
1
~bn in the memory.
A first checking operation is further provided in the comparing/determining operation, for checking a presence of abnormality of the lamp when a difference between the initial reference
Pendegrass Joan
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
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