JP2988823B2 - Flatbed scanner - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flat scanner for reading a document fixed on a document fixing sheet after placing the document fixing sheet on a document placing table.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a plurality of documents are placed on a document table of a flat scanner, first, the entire surface of the document table is pre-scanned, each document is read at a low resolution, and the image of each document is displayed on a monitor. Is displayed. Next, the operator sets a reading area of each document using a keyboard or the like while looking at the monitor on which each document is displayed. After that, only the set reading area was main-scanned to obtain high-resolution image data of each document.

[0003]

As described above, conventionally, in order to set a reading area, a pre-scan and an operation of inputting the reading area by an operator were required. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a flat scanner which can automatically set a reading area of each document and has good work efficiency.

[0004]

A document table having two intersecting reference sides and divided into a plurality of sections, and each of the document tables is connected on the basis of the reference sides to be placed on the document table. A plurality of original fixed sheets placed thereon, each of which has an original fixed area, and each of which has the same outer shape as the section; first data indicating an arrangement position of the original fixed area in the original fixed sheet; Second indicating the location of the parcel
Storage means for storing data; input means for inputting a section name on which the original fixed sheet is placed; and, based on the first data, the second data, and the section name, The image processing apparatus further includes a calculating unit that calculates a reading area of the document fixed to the document fixing area, and a reading unit that reads the reading area.

[0005]

The operation of the flat scanner according to the present invention is as follows. The original fixing sheet having the original fixed in the original fixing area is placed on the original placing table in a state where the original fixing sheets are connected to each other with reference to the reference side. In addition, since the outer shape of the original fixing sheet is the same as the section into which the original placing table is divided, each original fixing sheet is placed in a state in which the original fixing sheet coincides with the section. Further, the storage means stores the first data indicating the arrangement position of each document fixing area in each document fixing sheet and the second data indicating the position of each section. By simply inputting the name of the placed section, the calculating section calculates the reading area of the document fixed on the document fixing sheet, and the reading section can read the reading area.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A flat scanner according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic external perspective view of a flat scanner shown as one embodiment of the present invention. The flat-bed scanner comprises a main body 1 having a roughly box shape, a document table 2 disposed on the upper surface of the main body 1, a document fixing sheet 4 disposed on the upper surface of the table 2, and a table. 2 a personal computer P having a monitor M which is constituted by an exposure means 3 located above and separately electrically connected to the flat scanner.
And an operation unit S for operating the same. The monitor unit M monitors the monitor M, inputs reading information, drives the flat scanner via the personal computer P, and reads the original 5 on the original placing table 2. It has been made to.

The main body 1 has a reading section 1a composed of a line sensor combined with an optical system 1e such as a mirror or a lens (not shown), a board circuit 1b for image-processing the read information, and controls these. Control means 1c
And a driving unit 1d for driving each of the functions based on an output signal from the control unit 1c, and a reading unit for reading a document on the document table 2 irradiated by the exposure unit 3 in a scanning direction. It moves in the sub-scanning direction while reading at 1a.

As shown in FIG. 3, the document table 2 has a frame 2b consisting of four sides fixed to the upper surface of the main body 1, and a flat glass plate fitted and supported on the inner surface of the frame 2b. The document glass 2a extends in the main scanning direction X and the sub-scanning direction Y with one corner of the glass 2a as a base point k.
Two reference sides 2c and 2e are provided. The reference side 2
Reference numerals c and 2e denote strips having a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the fixing sheet 4 and have visible scales marked on the surface thereof, and a document fixing sheet 4 on each inner edge thereof.
Is formed so that the outer edge thereof can abut.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, there are four types of original fixing sheets 4 (sheets 1 to 4), and the inner surface of each original fixing sheet 4 has openings 5a to 5a having a shape corresponding to a desired original size. 5d are formed, and the openings 5a to 5d
The document is inserted and fixed in the document. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the dimensions are set so that six original fixing sheets 4 can be arranged in a continuous manner on the original glass 2a.

The outer shape of each document fixing sheet 4 is the same.
In this embodiment, the outer shape of the document fixing sheet 4 is square so that when the document fixing sheet 4 is placed along the orthogonal reference sides 2c and 2e, the placement position is determined regardless of the placement direction. However, it can be a rectangle or other parallelogram. Returning to FIG. 1 again, the exposure means 3 is constituted by a substantially rectangular frame body including a light source for irradiating diffused light to the same length as the width direction (main scanning direction) of the original glass 2a. Circuit 1d
In the vertical direction (sub-scanning direction) on the original glass 2a.
, And irradiates the original on the glass 2a.

On the other hand, the optical system 1e is also driven in the same direction by the drive circuit 1d in synchronization with the exposure means 3, so that the transmitted light from the original is read by the line sensor.
The image signal read by the line sensor is sent to the image processing circuit 1b through a signal line as shown in FIG. 2, and subjected to image processing such as shading correction, highlight tone, and sharpness.

The operation section S has input keys for inputting the type of each original fixed sheet 4 placed on the original placing table 2 and the mounting position of each original fixed sheet 4. Here, the type of the document fixing sheet 4 is classified according to the size of the document. For example, as shown in FIG.
* 5 inch) is fixed to sheet 1 and 2
The sheet to which the second largest document (6 * 4 cm) is fixed is sheet 2, and the sheet numbered sequentially from the maximum size of the fixed document is used as the sheet number.

Each original fixing sheet 4 is placed in a state where the vertical dimension of the original fixing sheet openings 5a to 5d is longer than the horizontal dimension. The placement position of the document fixing sheet 4 is
As shown in FIG. 9, the designation is made using the section names a to f of the same size as the document fixing sheet 4 divided for convenience on the document glass 2a. Therefore, what is actually input from the operation unit S is the information “sheet 4 in section 1b”.

Incidentally, the way of input from the operation section S is displayed in the interactive mode by displaying the guidance of "Please enter the block name" and "Please enter the sheet number" on the screen of the monitor M. It is desirable to be able to input with. The personal computer P calculates the reading start position and the ending position of the document fixed on each document fixing sheet 4 using the information input from the operation unit S by calculation, and the calculation processing unit and the fixed information necessary for the calculation. And a memory table with

There are two memory tables, one of which is shown in Table 1. The memory table contains, for each sheet number,
The horizontal length LX of the original to be fixed, the vertical length LY of the original to be fixed, and the Y of the original fixed sheet of the sheet number
The distance S1 from the outer edge parallel to the direction reference side 2e to the outer edge parallel to the reference side 2e of the document, and X
The distance S1 'from the outer edge parallel to the direction reference side 2c to the outer edge parallel to the reference side 2c of the document is stored. When a plurality of documents are fixed on the same sheet, the distances Sn and Sn 'are stored for each document.

Another table is shown in Table 2. This memory table stores an X coordinate value X and a Y coordinate value Y of each section. As the X coordinate value X, the X coordinate of the outer edge parallel to the Y-direction reference side 2e of the section a to f and closer to the Y-direction reference side 2e is stored. Similarly, as the Y coordinate value Y, the Y coordinate of the outer edge parallel to the X-direction reference side 2c of the original fixed sheet and closer to the X-direction reference side 2c is stored.

In the table, Ly is the Y of the original fixing sheet 4.
The length in the direction, Lx, is the length in the X direction.
F and the size of the original fixing sheet 4 are the same.

[0018]

[Table 1]

[0019]

[Table 2]

Next, the original reading operation will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. First, six original fixing sheets 4 of sheets 1 to 4 as shown in FIG.
To f. In this state, the operator inputs the sheet number and the section name of the original fixed sheet through the operation unit S for each sheet (steps 1 and 2). Then, the personal computer P sets an original reading area with reference to the information in the input information memory table (step 3).

In this setting operation, as shown in FIG. 11, the memory table (Table 1) is searched using the sheet number input from the operation unit S, and the document sizes LY and LX for the same sheet number, the distance from the outer edge Read S1 and S1 '(step 3-1). Then, using the read distances S1 and S1 'as temporary reading start coordinates, the document sizes LX, LY are set at the temporary reading start coordinates (S1, S1').
(S1 + LX, S1 '+ LY) are temporarily stored in a buffer in the personal computer P as temporary reading end coordinates. (Step 3-2).

In the document fixing sheet 4 on which a plurality of documents are fixed as shown in FIG. 7, the provisional reading start coordinates (Sn, Sn ') and the provisional reading end coordinates (Sn + LX) are set for each document. , Sn ′ + LY).
Store in buffer. Next, the memory table (Table 2) is searched using the section name input from the operation unit S, and the X coordinate value X and the Y coordinate value Y of the section are read (step 3-3, step 3-4).

Then, the provisional reading start coordinates (S1, S
1 ′), the X coordinate value X and the Y coordinate value Y of the section where the document fixing sheet 4 on which the document is fixed are located, and the true reading start coordinates (S1 + X, S1 ′ + Y) of the document are added.
Is obtained and the provisional reading end coordinates (S1 + LX, S1 ′ +
LY) also adds the X coordinate X and the Y coordinate Y to obtain true reading end coordinates (S1 + LX + X, S1 '+ LY + Y), and updates the contents of the buffer. When a plurality of documents are fixed on the same sheet, the provisional reading start coordinates (Sn, Sn ') and the provisional reading end coordinates (S
n + LX, Sn ′ + LY), the above addition processing is performed, and the true reading start coordinates (Sn + X, S
n ′ + Y) and true reading end coordinates (Sn + LX +
X, Sn '+ LY + Y).

When the reading area is calculated for all the originals of the original fixed sheet 4, the true reading start coordinates and the true reading end coordinates stored in the buffer for each sheet are transmitted to the CPU of the main body 1. (Step 5). The main body CPU receives the coordinate information and receives the motor drive circuit 1d,
The optical system 1e and the exposure unit 3 are controlled to read a document image in a region from a reading start position to an end position designated for each document.

In this embodiment, since all the original fixing sheets 4 are placed vertically, the operator has to pay attention to the direction of the original fixing sheet 4. The operator need not pay attention to the direction of the document fixing sheet 4 if the document reading area is set to be large enough to accommodate both the document placed horizontally and the document placed horizontally.

In addition to the type of the document fixing sheet 4 and the name of the section on which the document fixing sheet 4 is placed,
It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a variable for distinguishing between vertical and horizontal layout can be input.

[0027]

As described above, in the flat scanner according to the present invention, since the outer shapes of the plurality of original fixing sheets are unified to the same size as the section provided on the original mounting table, When the document fixing sheets are successively placed on the document placing table, each document fixing sheet is always placed so as to coincide with the section of the document placing table. Further, the storage unit stores first data indicating an arrangement position of the document fixing area on the document fixing sheet and second data indicating a position of each section. Therefore, if only the section name on which the document fixing sheet is placed is input, the reading area of the document fixed on the document fixing sheet is calculated based on the section name and the first data and the second data. Then, only the reading area can be read.

As described above, according to the flat scanner of the present invention, the reading area can be automatically set, so that the time required for setting the reading area can be shortened as compared with the related art, and the original can be read efficiently. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a flat scanner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a flat scanner.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a document table.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a document fixing sheet.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a document fixing sheet.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a document fixing sheet.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a document fixing sheet.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the document placing table showing a state where document fixing sheets having different document size openings are combined and placed on the document placing table.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for assisting description of a flowchart.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a program for controlling a scanner.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a program for setting a reading area.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1a reading unit 1c control means 2 original placing table 2c reference side 2e reference side 4 original fixing sheet 5 original X scanning direction Y sub scanning direction

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page Examiner Yukitoshi Morikawa (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H04N 1/04-1/207

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An original mounting table having two intersecting reference sides and divided into a plurality of sections, and each of the original mounting tables is connected on the basis of the reference side and placed on the original mounting table, A plurality of document fixing sheets each having a document fixing area arranged therein and having the same outer shape as the section, first data indicating the position of the document fixing area in the document fixing sheet, and the position of each section. Storage means for storing the second data shown; input means for inputting a section name on which the document fixing sheet is placed; and the document based on the first data, the second data, and the section name. A flat scanner comprising: a calculating unit that calculates a reading area of a document fixed to a document fixing area of a fixed sheet; and a reading unit that reads the reading area.