Facsimile and static presentation processing – Facsimile – Picture signal generator
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-15
2001-05-15
Lee, Cheukfan (Department: 2622)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Facsimile
Picture signal generator
C358S497000, C358S487000, C358S474000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06233065
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is related to a scanner, and more particularly to a scanner with transmission-mode scanning function.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Image processing is often heard of in photography and movies. The scanner is an indispensable part of this technology. There are two kinds of scanner: one is reflection-mode, and the other is transmission-mode. The reflection scanner is used for scanning an opaque article such as common papers, while the transmission scanner is used for scanning a transparent article such as transparencies, and is not as popular as the reflection scanner.
A side view of a conventional transmission scanner is shown in FIG.
1
(
a
). The scanner has an upper housing
1
and a lower housing
2
, and is used for scanning a transparency
4
. A transmissive light source
13
electrically connected to a socket
14
provides an optical signal for the transparency
4
to generate a scan optical signal. In the moving carriage
3
is an image-picking device used for processing the generated scan optical signal. The image-picking device includes a mirror
31
, a charge coupled device
32
, and a lens set
33
. The scan optical signal is transmitted to the charge coupled device
32
by the mirror
31
, then the charge coupled device
32
converts the scan optical signal into an electronic signal to form digital information later, while the lens set
33
is used for focusing the scanned signal in order to shorten the length of the moving carriage
3
. According to the operating principle, the transmissive light source
13
must be moved with the moving carriage
3
synchronously in order to scan the whole transparency
4
. Therefore, the driving device is needed to move the transmissive light source
13
in the upper housing
11
and the moving carriage
3
in the lower housing
2
. The motors
111
and
21
drive the corresponding belts
12
and
22
to circulate around the corresponding gears
15
and
23
and the corresponding motors
11
and
21
. The transmissive light source
13
and the moving carriage
3
are respectively moved between corresponding gears
15
and
23
and corresponding motors
11
and
21
by corresponding belts
12
and
22
. The conventional transmission scanner must be equipped with two sets of driving device which not only occupy more volume but also require higher production cost. Certainly, the complexity of the circuits can not be ignored.
Since the transmission scanner is less popular than the reflection scanner, a scanner with both the transmission-mode function and the reflection-mode function seems more economical. A side view of a conventional scanner with both the transmission-mode function and the reflection-mode function is shown in FIG.
1
(
b
). The devices marked with the same number as shown in FIG.
1
(
a
) are with similar function. The additional reflective light source
34
electrically connected to the corresponding socket
35
is mounted in the moving carriage
3
to provide an optical signal. If the scanned article
4
is a transparent article such as a transparency, the transmissive light source
13
is lit to provide an optical signal for the transparency
4
, and a scan optical signal is thus generated. The scan optical signal is reflected by the mirror
31
, focused by the lens set
33
, and converted into an electronic signal by the charge coupled device
32
in sequence. If the scanned article
4
is an opaque article such as a piece of paper, the reflective light source
34
is lit to provide an optical signal for the piece of paper
4
, then a scanned optical is generated, reflected, focused, and converted into an electronic signal as stated above. The transmissive light source
13
is transferred by a driving device which includes the motor
11
, the belt
12
, and the gear
15
to scan the whole transparency
4
, while the reflective light source
34
is mounted in the moving carriage
3
transferred by another driving device which includes the motor
21
, the belt
22
, and the gear
23
to scan the whole paper
4
. Although the scanner serves more applications, the trouble of high production cost and complex circuit due to the two sets of driving device still exists.
A scanner with both the transmission-mode function and the reflection-mode function according to another prior art introduces a light-distributing sheet instead of the transmissive light source and the driving device mounted in the upper housing. The light-distribution sheet is a smooth-faced sheet which has two fluorescent tubes on the two sides of the smooth-faced sheet. The light is dispersed under the light-distribution sheet which covers the whole scanned article and does not need moving. The light-distribution sheet suggested by the prior art, however, can not distribute light homogeneously, so the scanning quality is affected. Another disadvantage of this scanner is the high cost of the light-distribution sheet. Thus, a better scanner with lower cost is in great hope.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An objective of the present invention is to provide a scanner with transmission-mode scanning function which has simpler structure, less constituent elements and circuits, smaller volume, and less malfunctions during operating, so that users can manage and maintain mush easier.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a scanner with transmission-mode scanning function which has homogeneous incident light and better scanning quality so that the marketability can be anticipated.
In accordance with the present invention, a scanner with transmission-mode scanning function used for scanning an article for obtaining an electronic signal includes a housing, a scanning window having a first side and a second opposite side, a moving carriage having therein an image-picking device and mounted at the first side of the scanning window, and a combining device. The combining device includes a guiding path, a first luminous body mounted at the second opposite side of the scanning window for providing a first optical signal, and a linking device connected to the moving carriage and to the first luminous body to enable the moving carriage and the first luminous body to be synchronously moved along the guiding path.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the image-picking device includes a charge coupled device for converting a scan optical signal obtained by scanning the article into the electronic signal, a mirror for transmitting the scan optical signal to the charge coupled device, and a lens set mounted between the mirror and the charge coupled device for focusing the scan optical signal.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the combining device has a slot mounted alongside the scanning window. The slot positions therein the guiding path and guiding therethrough the linking device.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the linking device preferably includes a connecting piece which is connected to the moving carriage, and passes through the slot to be moved with the moving carriage synchronously.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the connecting piece has thereon a socket electrically connected to the first luminous body.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the first luminous body may be a real luminous body, e.g. fluorescent tube and cold-cathode tube.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the scanner preferably includes a second luminous body mounted in the moving carriage for providing a second optical signal. The second luminous body is a real luminous body, e.g. fluorescent tube and cold-cathode tube, or a virtual luminous body.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, if the second luminous body is a real luminous body, the scanner further includes a selecting switch electrically connected to the first luminous body and to the second luminous body for selecting the first luminous body or the second luminous body to be lit to provide correspondingly the
Gottlieb Rackman & Reisman P.C.
Lee Cheukfan
Mustek Systems Inc.
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