JPH01201779A - Picture reader for drawing - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain miniaturization by connecting a unit which reads the picture of a micro film and a unit which reads the picture of a reflective drawing original to a common picture processing circuit. CONSTITUTION:A picture reader is composed by integrating the original picture read unit 10 and the film original picture read unit 20. Picture information from the sensors 18 and 28 of the units 10 and 20 are processed in common in the picture processing circuit including a picture read part 30, a binarization circuit 33, a black white inversion signal switching part 35 and an interface 36. The picture processing circuit further includes an A/D circuit 31, a shading correction circuit 32 and a density adjusting circuit 34.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an image reading device for drawings, and in particular, the present invention relates to an image reading device for drawings, and in particular, by combining an image reading unit for microfilm and an image reading unit for reflective originals, The present invention relates to a device configured such that the signal processing circuits of the present invention can be used in common.

(Prior art) Conventionally, when managing design drawings, etc., in addition to managing the drawings written on tracing paper, etc. in their original state, the drawings are copied onto microfilm and the microfilm is Techniques such as storing the item in the same condition are used.

For example, when managing the drawings themselves, in addition to being able to take out the necessary drawings from the storage shelf and directly viewing them, you can also use a large copying machine for drawings to obtain copies of any size. It has the advantage of being possible. However, when there are a large number of drawings, problems arise, such as not only requiring a large amount of storage space but also requiring a lot of effort to manage them.

Therefore, in many cases, the drawings are not stored directly, but are copied onto microfilm and created as a negative film.
By attaching the microfilm to an aperture card, one drawing is stored as one aperture card.

This aperture card has a window for microfilm at a predetermined portion thereof, has sorting information such as a punch hole around the card, and is often used in which necessary information can be written.

When viewing the drawings, you can use a commercially available device such as a microfilm reader/printer to project the microfilm drawings directly onto the viewer screen, or use the attached copy. The device allows you to print out a hard copy.

In the conventional microfilm handling equipment described above, means are used to project the microfilm image onto a screen using direct light or to transmit it to the photoreceptor drum of a copying machine. In addition to handling image information as optical information, it is also possible to scan microfilm and convert the signal obtained as analog image information by means such as COD into a digital signal and transmit it to image processing means. Sometimes it is done.

For example, in the conventional example shown in FIG. 5, by inserting a document 12 into a document image reading unit 10, the image of the document can be transmitted as an electrical signal to an image processing circuit of a computer. Apart from this, it is also possible to directly output a digital signal to a printer, and any print can be created based on the digital signal. Such an apparatus is provided with image scanning means and its signal processing circuit as shown in FIG. 5a.

In the apparatus described above, inside the document image reading unit 10, a drive system 15 for conveying the document and a lamp 16 for irradiating the document are provided.
The light from the lamp 16 is reflected on the document 12 conveyed by the drive system 15, and the resulting image information is focused by the lens 17 and formed into an image on the sensor 18. It is converted into an electrical signal and input to the processing circuit of the control device.

The processing circuit of the control device converts the signal input from the sensor 18 into an analog signal into a digital signal using an A/D circuit 31 provided in a reading correction section 30, and corrects the signal from the background in a shooding correction circuit 32. I do. Then, the signal is outputted to the binarization circuit 33 to be converted into a black and white image signal, the density adjustment circuit 34 adjusts the density of the image, and the signal is outputted to an external device via the interface 36.

In addition, in the film original image reading unit 20 as shown in FIG. The sensor converts the transmitted light through the microfilm into an electrical signal, which is then output to an external device.

The film original image reading unit 20 as described above is provided with a scanning means and a signal processing circuit as shown in FIG. 6a. The light is passed through a film 23, image information is formed by a lens 28, detected by a sensor 29, and input to a processing circuit of a control device. In the processing circuit of the control device, the signal information is transmitted from the reading correction section 30 to the binarization circuit 33 and processed, the density is adjusted, and the interface 36
It is now possible to output to an external device.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) However, in the conventional device as described above,
The drawing image processing device and the microfilm processing device are constructed separately, and it is necessary to use dedicated devices for each.

In addition, in devices for drawing, for example, in the case of a device that reads AO resized originals, CCD@
When used, three sets of CODs are arranged vertically,
It is necessary to combine the lens and sensor in accordance with each sensor, and at that time, in order to prevent misalignment of images at the connection between the sensors, strictly check the equipment. It is necessary to perform assembly.

In addition, in order to prevent the image reading unit from being affected by vibrations even when external vibrations are applied, it is necessary to mount the device on a very strong frame. , there are problems such as the device becomes larger and occupies a larger space.

In addition, in the conventional document image reading unit as described above, it is necessary to maintain a constant distance between the COD sensor and the lens, so the tolerance of the position of the optical device is limited. They are very small, and even if sufficient care is taken to manufacture and maintain the device, they are prone to drawbacks such as problems with the connection of images between each sensor.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention eliminates the drawbacks of conventionally used devices as described above, and includes a document image reading unit,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device that can be miniaturized by incorporating a film original image reading unit into one device and by allowing common use of an image signal circuit.

(Means and effects for solving the problems) The drawing image reading device of the present invention includes a transmission type reading unit for reading microfilm and a reflection type reading unit for reading drawing manuscripts. This device is configured so that the image signals obtained by the sensors of both devices can be introduced into a common image processing circuit to process the image signals.

In the apparatus of the present invention, the film original image reading unit is provided with an image forming means using a normal lens and a COD in the same manner as in conventional apparatuses, and information obtained by the COD is inputted to the control device. However, in the original image reading unit, a SELFOC lens (trade name for an assembly of focusing optical fibers) and an a-3i image sensor (amorphous silicon image sensor) are used.
It is used in combination with an image sensor (trade name) sold by Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

By configuring as described above, the focal length of the lens can be set long, and the distance between the lens and the sensor can be set strictly (and the mechanism that can accurately output image signals can be set). is forming.

Therefore, in the drawing image reading device of the present invention, the mechanism of the optical system of the document image reading unit can be simplified, and the entire device can be downsized, and can be configured as a desktop display device.

Further, since the drawing image reading device of the present invention can use the signal processing circuit of the control device in common, II.
The circuit of the Iml device can be simplified, and in response to the fact that the images of the film and original are input inverted, by providing an image inversion circuit in a part of the circuit, the output device can: It becomes possible to output image signals in the same state.

(Example) The configuration of an image reading apparatus for drawings according to the present invention will be explained according to the illustrated example.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the image reading device @1 of the present invention is shown as an integral structure of a document image reading unit 10 and a film document image reading unit 20, and is used as a desktop type device. It is supported by a stand 4 and placed at a predetermined height.

In this document image reading unit 10, in the same manner as in the case of conventionally used document image reading units,
It is configured to insert a document 12 into a document insertion section 11 and read the image of the document 12 during its conveyance, and a card insertion section 21 is provided on the side of the document image reading unit 10. By inserting the aperture card 22 into the card insertion section 21, the image on the film 23 of the aperture card 22 can be read.

The image information read by the two image reading units is outputted to the CRT 5 or printer 6 via the interface 2. Note that the CRT or printer connected to the image reading device 1 of the present invention may be a viewer, printer, or other device that has been commonly used in the past.

In the image reading apparatus according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. A transmission type reading means for reading the image is provided.

In each of these reading means, the original image reading unit 10 includes drive system means for conveying the original 12;
Means for reading the image of the document is arranged. The image reading unit in this document image reading unit 10 uses a halogen lamp 16 as an optical system,
As the lens 17, the above-mentioned [Selfoc lens] is used. Furthermore, as the sensor 18, ra-8
1 image sensor is used.

By combining the lens 17 and sensor 18 as described above, the distance between the original and the lens and the distance between the lens and the sensor change compared to when a normal lens and COD are combined. However, since this will not have a major effect on image reading, the device should be constructed sturdily to ensure that the spacing between these members is absolutely prevented from being affected by vibrations, etc. will not be required.

Further, in the film original image reading unit 20 of the present invention, as in the case of the conventional film original image reading unit, a lamp 25, a mirror 26 for reflecting the light toward the film, and a normal lens 27 are provided. A lens 27 is provided to transmit the transmitted light of the film image.
The image is formed on the sensor 28 by the following.

In the case of this embodiment, a COD is used as the sensor', but the film is composed of a 35 am microfilm, and the optical path for forming the image light is very short, and one COD Since the entire image can be sufficiently read using the scanner, in this case, the problems that occur in the case of the original image reading unit do not occur, and the device can be configured to be compact. .

Image information obtained as electrical signals by the two sensors as described above is input to a reading correction section 30 provided in the image reading device. The reading correction section 30 is provided with an A/D circuit 31 and a shooding correction circuit 32, and the A/D circuit 31 converts the analog signal input from the sensor 18.28 into a digital signal. Furthermore, the shooding correction circuit 32 corrects the image quality of the image information to match the background.

Next, the signal corrected as described above is output to the binarization circuit 33, which converts the image signal into a two-color signal of black and white. This is because in the case of a drawing image, only black and white information is required. Then, the concentration of the signal is adjusted by the concentration adjustment circuit 34, and the interface 3
6 to an external device.

In the image reading device of the present invention, the image signal output from the film original image reading unit is obtained in an inverted state from the signal obtained from the original. It is necessary to invert the signals and output both signals in the same mode to the external device.

For this purpose, in the control circuit of the present invention, a black-and-white inversion signal switching section 35 is provided at a stage before the interface 36, and when a signal from the sensor 28 is input to the black-and-white inversion signal switching section 35, the film original It is set so that it can be activated by a signal from the image reading unit 20.

Therefore, the reflection signal of the original image from the original image reading unit 10 is processed as is and outputted to the external device via the interface 36, but the signal obtained from the film original image reading unit 20 is The transmission signal of the image is corrected by the control circuit through the black-and-white inversion signal switching section 35, assuming that both signals are in the same mode, and is output to the interface 36. This signal allows the CRT or printer to be activated.

In the drawing image reading apparatus of the present invention, the control circuit shown in FIG. 2 can be specifically configured as shown in FIG. 3. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the signal obtained by the sensor 18 passes through a collector 40 and a comparator 41, and a line buffer 42 collects four signals to form one line. Predetermined processing operations such as deletion of unnecessary information and reduction/enlargement are performed on the signal from 18.

Further, the signal output from the selector 43 is outputted to an external device via the input/output interface 36 and the controller 45.

Note that the interface 36 is configured to receive signals necessary for outputting to an external device, and output signals to a CRT or the like in accordance with the signals.

Further, in the drawing image reading apparatus of the present invention, as the image reading unit provided in the original image reading unit 10, an image reading unit having a configuration as shown in FIG. 4 can be used. In the example shown in FIG. 4, light from a lamp 16 is irradiated onto five sides of the original 12 passing through the original transport path, and the reflected light of the image is transmitted through a lens 17 composed of a "Selfoc lens". An image is formed on the a-8i sensor 18 via the a-8i sensor 18, and a signal obtained by the sensor 18 is processed by a control circuit attached to the sensor 18 and output to an external control device.

In the document image reading unit 10 of the present invention configured as described above, the depth of focus of the lens 17 can be long, and the depth of focus of the lens 17 can be set arbitrarily, and the a-8i sensor can be set to the length of the lens 17. It can be formed to any length depending on the size of the lens, and it is possible to set the lens and sensor pixel in a one-to-one relationship.

Therefore, in the image reading unit, even if the distance between the document 12 and the sensor 18 is not strictly maintained and the distance varies slightly, the image light of the document can be reliably detected by the sensor. .

On the other hand, in the case of a conventional device that combines a normal lens mechanism and a COD, it is required to strictly set the respective intervals between the original and the lens, and between the lens and the sensor. This requires a single lens to focus light on a very large number of sensor pixels, and even if the focal length shifts slightly, problems such as blurring of the image may occur. Become something to do.

Furthermore, one COD can only be formed with approximately 5,000 bits, whereas an AO resized original requires approximately 14,000 bits of pixels, so in order to cover the entire width, 3 It is necessary to connect several sensors.

As mentioned above, when three CODs are used in combination, in order to prevent the image from shifting at the connection parts of each sensor, the frame for holding the CODs must be made sturdy, and the surrounding Since it is required to prevent the influence of vibrations from occurring, there are problems such as the overall size of the device and the need for a very large mold opening.

On the other hand, when the image reading means shown in FIG. 4 is used as the original image reading unit of the present invention, even if the image reading unit is affected by vibration, both the lens and sensor are vibrated. However, even if the focal length of the lens changes, due to the characteristics of the lens, no blurring will occur in the image, and image information in good condition can always be obtained.

For the reasons mentioned above, the device of the present invention is not significantly affected by vibrations, so the frame etc. do not need to be particularly sturdy, and it can be configured compactly and can be mounted on a desktop. type of device.

Furthermore, in the apparatus of the present invention, since signals from the original image reading unit and the film original image reading unit are input to a common control circuit, two image reading apparatuses for microfilm and original It is possible to process signals from both simultaneously. Then, the above two signal processing means are 1iIIJ! ! By providing it in the IIWA location, these images can be easily combined and output to a CRT, or created as a hard copy using a printer.

Furthermore, it is also possible to attach a device such as a microcomputer to the above-mentioned circuit, and to synthesize and output character information created by the microcomputer on a drawing, if necessary. becomes.

(Effects of the Invention) Since the drawing image reading device of the present invention has the above-described configuration, the original image reading unit and the film original image reading unit can be configured as an integrated device, and the original Since the image reading means is composed of a SELFOC lens and an A-3i sensor, the mechanism can be constructed compactly, and the device can be constructed as a desktop type device.

Further, in the drawing image reading device of the present invention, since the signals of the two image reading devices can be processed by a common iq m m device, the circuit of the control device d can be simplified and the cost can be reduced. There will be great benefits in terms of.

Furthermore, in the apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to perform arbitrary processing operations, such as combining two signals from the original image reading unit and the film original image reading unit, which are conventionally used. Its uses can be expanded compared to single-function machines.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image reading device for drawings according to the present invention, and FIG.
3 is a circuit diagram of the control device, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the structure of the image reading device of the film original image reading unit, and FIG. 5 is a conventional image reading device. Perspective view of document image reading unit, No. 5a
The figure is a circuit diagram of the image reading device, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a conventional film original image reading unit, and FIG. 6a is its circuit diagram. Reference numerals in the figure 1...Image reading device, 4...Stand, 5...CRT, 6...Printer, 10...Document Image reading unit, 12...
...Manuscript, 15...Drive system, 16...
... Lamp, 17 ... Lens, 18 ...
・Sensor, 20...Film original image reading unit, 22...Aperture card, 23
...Film, 25...Lamp, 26
...Mirror, 27...Lens, 28.
...sensor, 30...reading correction section,
31...A/D circuit, 32...Shuding correction circuit, 33...Binarization circuit, 34
...Density adjustment circuit, 35...Black and white inversion signal switching unit, 36...Interface. Figure 2 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 5α Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A unit for reading images of microfilm and a unit for reading images of reflective drawing manuscripts are provided, and electrical image signals obtained by the sensors of both devices are input to a common image processing circuit, 1. An image reading device for drawings, characterized in that it is configured to perform image processing operations.