JPH0576166U - Image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] It is intended to provide an image reading device capable of reading data at high speed. [Structure] A plurality of reading means S1 and S2 are provided separately from each other in the scanning direction so as to be located respectively on a part of a form for which data is to be read and another part of the form which is separated in the scanning direction. .. When reading the data recorded on the form, the moving unit moves the plurality of reading units relative to the form in the scanning direction. Accordingly, the plurality of reading units can scan each other for a predetermined length in the scanning direction of the form while moving relatively with respect to the form and sharing each other. Therefore, the scan time is shortened and the data reading process can be performed at high speed.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an image reading device, and more particularly to enabling high speed data reading.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 Optical image reading devices (that is, image scanners) used in copiers, facsimiles, etc. are roughly classified into transfer type image scanners and stationary type image scanners according to their scanning modes. In a transfer-type image scanner, a form on which data is recorded is transferred in a longitudinal direction (that is, in a vertical direction), and the form is scanned while passing through an image sensor that can be electronically scanned in the width direction. The entire image is scanned by the image sensor. In other words, by scanning the form in the longitudinal direction with respect to the image sensor that electronically scans the form in the width direction, the entire form is scanned.

Further, in the static image scanner, the form is transferred in the longitudinal direction to a predetermined scan position where the above-mentioned image sensor is provided. Thereafter, the entire form is scanned by moving the image sensor over the entire length of the form by an arbitrary moving means in a stationary state at the scan position.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, in the above-mentioned conventional static image scanner, one image sensor is moved over the entire length of the form for scanning, so that it takes a considerable time and the data reading process can be performed at high speed. There was a problem that I could not do it.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide an image reading apparatus capable of reading data at a high speed.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The image reading device according to the present invention is provided so as to be spaced apart from each other in the scan direction so that when the data recorded on the form is read, the image reading device is located at each of a plurality of different portions separated in the predetermined scan direction. The plurality of reading means and the plurality of reading means relatively moved in the scanning direction with respect to the form, whereby the plurality of reading means move in a predetermined direction in the scanning direction of the form. It is equipped with a moving means that enables scanning by sharing the length.

[0007]

[Action]

 A plurality of reading means are provided separately in the scanning direction so that they are located in a part of the form for which data is to be read and another part of the form which is separated from the part in the predetermined scanning direction. Has been. When reading the data recorded on the form, the moving means moves the plurality of reading means relative to the form in the scanning direction. With this, the plurality of reading units can scan the form by a predetermined length in the scanning direction while moving relatively with respect to the form and sharing each other. The time is shortened and the data reading process can be performed at high speed.

That is, for example, when two reading means are provided and it is desired to scan the entire length of the form in the predetermined scanning direction, one reading means is located at the leading end of the form and the other is read. The means can be provided, for example, so as to be located at a central portion separated from the tip portion in the scanning direction. In this case, by being moved by the moving means, the one reading means scans from the leading end portion to the central portion of the form, and the other reading means scans from the central portion of the form. Scan up to the rear end in the direction. In this way, the time required to scan the form is reduced by half as compared with the case of scanning in the scanning direction by one reading means, and therefore the data reading process is performed at high speed. It will be possible.

[0009]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows a static image scanner 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The form P in which the data to be read is recorded is introduced from the stacker 1 through the introduction port 2 in the length direction (indicated by L) (that is, in the vertical direction) and then along the transfer path 3 in a predetermined manner. It is transferred to the scan position (the transfer direction is indicated by F), and thereafter, the scan is performed in the stationary state at the scan position.

At the scan position, a first position is provided at a distance in the length direction so that different positions spaced apart in the length direction of the form P stationary at the scan position can be simultaneously (parallelly) scanned. One image sensor S1 and a second image sensor S2 are provided. The image sensors S1 and S2 are each composed of a CCD or the like, and are capable of electronically scanning substantially the entire width of the form P.

Further, the image sensors S1 and S2 are provided so as to be separated from each other by a distance L / 2 equal to one half of the length L of the form P, and the form P is stationary at the scan position. In the above, the first image sensor S1 is located at the leading end of the form P, and the second image sensor S2 is located at the center of the form P.

The image sensors S 1 and S 2 are slidably fixed to a moving rod 8 driven by a driving source 7 such as a motor, and the distance L / While keeping 2, it is possible to move simultaneously in the reverse transfer direction IF by a distance of L / 2. In this way, the image sensors S1 and S2 can scan while sharing the entire length L 1 of the form P by half by moving the image sensors S1 and S2 in the reverse transfer direction IF by the distance L / 2. As a result, the entire form P can be scanned in combination with the above-described electronic scanning over the substantially entire width of the form P. In this way, since the two image sensors S1 and S2 each scan half of the length L of the form P in parallel, one image sensor is moved over the entire length of the form to perform scanning. Compared with the conventional static image scanner that is used, the time required for scanning is reduced by half.

If the size of the form P read by the image scanner 30 is fixed, the separation distance between the first and second image sensors S1 and S2, that is, the relative position may be fixed. When the size of the form P is not constant, the relative positions of the image sensors S1 and S2 are set appropriately so that the sensors S1 and S2 can scan half of the total length L of the form P in parallel. It is adjusted automatically. That is, in the latter case, for example, the size of the form P is detected by the stacker 1, and the image sensors S1 and S2 are slid with respect to the moving rod 8 in accordance with the detected size. The relative positions of the sensors S1 and S2 will be adjusted.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a data processing unit that processes image data obtained by the scanning operation by the above-described image sensors S1 and S2 in the same embodiment. Two systems of data processing units are provided corresponding to the image sensors S1 and S2 so that the image data output from the image sensors S1 and S2 can be processed simultaneously.

The control unit 9 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and controls the entire image scanner 30. The first binarization processing unit 10 converts the image data output from the first image sensor S1 from the leading end portion to the central portion of the form P into binarized image data of "1" and "0". To do. Similarly, the second binarization processing unit 11 binarizes image data from the central portion to the rear end portion of the form P output from the second image sensor S2 into “1” and “0”. Convert to image data. The first data transfer unit 12 and the second data transfer unit 13 are composed of a personal computer or the like for the binarized image data output from each of the first and second binarization processing units 10 and 11. The data is transferred to the two input interfaces A and B of the host device 16 at the same time. The host device 16 performs various processes according to the data thus transferred.

With the above-described configuration, in this embodiment, the data read time until the form P is scanned and transferred to the upper level device 16 is substantially shorter than that of the conventional static image scanner. It will be reduced to half.

Since the upper device 16 has only one input interface, it is impossible to transfer the binarized image data from the two data transfer units 12 and 13 to the upper device 16 at the same time. In this case, the readable / writable RAM 18 is used. That is, while data is being transferred from one data transfer unit (in the illustrated example, the first data transfer unit 12 corresponding to the first image sensor S1) to the input interface A of the higher-level device 16, The other, that is, the data to be transferred from the second data transfer unit 13 is temporarily stored in the RAM 18. Thereafter, after waiting for the completion of the data transfer from the first data transfer unit 12 to the higher-level device 16, the data temporarily stored in the RAM 18 is read out, and the second data transfer unit 14 transfers the higher-level device 16 to the higher-level device 16. Transferred to. In this case, the data transfer from the first data transfer unit 12 to the higher-level device 16 is completed as compared with the case where the data is transferred simultaneously from the two data transfer units 12 and 13 to the higher-level device 16. The time to read the data becomes longer by waiting for. However, since the time required to transfer data from the first data transfer unit 12 to the host device 16 is extremely shorter than the time required to scan the entire length of the form by one image sensor, Even in this case, the data reading time can be significantly shortened as compared with the conventional static image scanner. In addition, in order to discharge the scanned form P and transfer the next form P to the scan position by utilizing the time during which the data transfer from the second data transfer unit 13 to the host device 16 is being performed. The form transfer process may be performed, which can further shorten the data reading time. Further, the RAM 18 temporarily stores the binarized image data only for the area where data is recorded in the form P (that is, the binarized image data for the margin area of the form P is stored in the RAM 18). (Not stored), which makes it possible to shorten the time required to transfer data from the second data transfer unit 13 to the higher-level device 16.

Although the number of image sensors is two in the above embodiment, the number of image sensors is not limited to two and may be three or more. The larger the number of image sensors, the faster the data can be read.

[0019]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, the present invention has an excellent effect that data can be read at high speed because the document is scanned by a plurality of image sensors.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing the inside of an image reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a data processing unit that processes image data in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

7 ... Driving source, 8 ... Moving rod, S1, S2 ... Image sensor, P ... Form.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. When reading data recorded on a form, a plurality of readings provided separately from each other in the scan direction so as to be respectively located at a plurality of different portions separated from each other in the predetermined scanning direction on the form. Means and the plurality of reading means relative to the form in the scanning direction, whereby the plurality of reading means respectively share a predetermined length of the form in the scanning direction. And an image reading apparatus including a moving unit that enables scanning.