# US 10,375,262 B2 · Image scanning device, multifunction peripheral, image scanning method, and non-transitory computer-readable medium

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- Number: US 10,375,262 B2
- Document ID: US10375262B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/837,237
- Filed: 2017-12-11
- Published: 2018-06-14
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-12-12
- Assignees: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Kenji Ogasawara
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10375262B2

## CPC

- H04N 1/00779: {Adjusting settings, e.g. mode, feeding rate or type of paper}
- G03B 27/62: Holders for the original (G03B27/53 takes precedence {; for electrophotographic copiers G03G15/60})
- H04N 1/00: Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
- H04N 1/00705: {at a plurality of spaced apart locations, e.g. as a sheet is fed through the apparatus}
- H04N 1/00708: {Size or dimensions}
- H04N 1/00734: {Optical detectors}
- H04N 1/00769: {Comparing, e.g. with threshold}
- H04N 1/028: for picture information pick-up
- H04N 1/04: Scanning arrangements {, i.e. arrangements for the displacement of active reading or reproducing elements relative to the original or reproducing medium, or vice versa}(H04N1/387 takes precedence)
- H04N 1/047: Detection, control or error compensation of scanning velocity or position ({H04N1/0402 and } H04N1/17 take precedence)
- H04N 1/10: using flat picture-bearing surfaces {(H04N1/113, H04N1/195 take precedence)}
- H04N 1/203: Simultaneous scanning of two or more separate pictures {, e.g. two sides of the same sheet (refeeding a sheet for double-sided scanning H04N1/00572)}
- H04N 1/2038: {lying in the same plane}
- H04N 1/3873: {defined only by a limited number of coordinate points or parameters, e.g. corners, centre; for trimming}
- H04N 1/393: Enlarging or reducing
- H04N 2201/0094: Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- G03B: APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR (optical parts of such apparatus G02B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; apparatus for processing exposed photographic materials G03D)

## Abstract

An image scanning device includes a placement-area image data capturing unit that captures placement-area image data corresponding to an area where documents are placed on a platen, a document image data capturing unit that captures pieces of document image data, each of which corresponds to one of the documents, and acquires positions of the pieces of document image data, in accordance with the placement-area image data captured by the placement-area image data capturing unit, a placement order acquiring unit that acquires an order in which the documents, each of which corresponds to one of the pieces of document image data, have been placed in accordance with at least the positions of the pieces of document image data, each of which corresponds to one of the documents, and a sequencing unit that assigns to the pieces of document image data the order acquired by the placement order acquiring unit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An image scanning device comprising:
a placement-area image data capturing unit that captures placement-area image data corresponding to an area where a plurality of documents are placed on a platen;
a document image data capturing unit that captures a plurality of pieces of document image data, each of which corresponds to one of the plurality of documents placed on the platen, and acquires positions of the plurality of pieces of document image data, in accordance with the placement-area image data captured by the placement-area image data capturing unit;
a placement order acquiring unit that acquires an order in which the plurality of documents, each of which corresponds to one of the plurality of pieces of document image data, have been placed on the platen in accordance with at least the positions of the plurality of pieces of document image data, each of which corresponds to one of the plurality of documents placed on the platen; and
a sequencing unit that assigns the order acquired by the placement order acquiring unit to the plurality of pieces of document image data, wherein
a direction in which the plurality of documents have been placed on the platen is deduced based on a temporal change in a combination of document presence states.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The image scanning device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a direction deducing unit that deduces the direction in which the plurality of documents have been placed on the platen,
wherein the placement order acquiring unit acquires an order in which the plurality of documents, each of which corresponds to one of the plurality of pieces of document image data, have been placed on the platen in accordance with the direction deduced by the direction deducing unit and the positions of the plurality of pieces of document image data acquired by the document image data capturing unit.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The image scanning device according to claim 2,
wherein the direction deducing unit includes
a plurality of placement detectors, each of which detects whether a document is placed in a predetermined separate place on the platen, and
a deducing unit that deduces the direction in which the plurality of documents have been placed on the platen based on the temporal change in the combination of document presence states detected by the plurality of placement detectors.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The image scanning device according to claim 1, further comprising:
an order detecting unit that detects positions and an order in which a plurality of document candidates have been placed on the platen,
wherein the placement order acquiring unit acquires an order in which the plurality of documents, each of which corresponds to one of the plurality of pieces of document image data, have been placed on the platen in accordance with the positions and the order in which the plurality of document candidates have been placed, the positions and the order being detected by the order detecting unit, and the positions of the plurality of pieces of document image data acquired by the document image data capturing unit.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The image scanning device according to claim 4,
wherein the order detecting unit detects the plurality of document candidates placed on the platen and the order in which the plurality of document candidates have been placed on the platen in response to placement of a new document candidate on the platen and removal of a document candidate present on the platen from the platen.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The image scanning device according to claim 4,
wherein the placement order acquiring unit compares the positions of the plurality of document candidates detected by the order detecting unit and the positions of the plurality of pieces of document image data acquired by the document image data capturing unit, updates the order detected by the order detecting unit by removing a document candidate whose position corresponds to none of the positions of the plurality of pieces of document image data, and acquires an order in which the plurality of documents have been placed on the platen in accordance with a correspondence between the positions and the order of the plurality of document candidates after the updating and a correspondence between the position of each of the document candidates that has a corresponding piece of the document image data and the position of the corresponding piece of the document image data.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The image scanning device according to claim 4,
wherein the order detecting unit includes
an image capturing unit that acquires moving images by capturing images of the platen, and
a determining unit that determines an order in which the plurality of document candidates have been placed in accordance with the moving images acquired by the image capturing unit.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The image scanning device according to claim 7,
wherein the determining unit detects a plurality of individual document area candidates in accordance with the moving images acquired by the image capturing unit, and determines an order in which the plurality of document candidates have been placed in accordance with an order in which the plurality of individual document area candidates have been detected.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

A multifunction peripheral comprising:
the image scanning device according to claim 1.

### Claim 10

An image scanning method comprising:
capturing placement-area image data corresponding to an area where a plurality of documents are placed on a platen;
capturing a plurality of pieces of document image data, each of which corresponds to one of the plurality of documents placed on the platen, and acquiring positions of the plurality of pieces of document image data, in accordance with the placement-area image data captured in the capturing of the placement-area image data;
acquiring an order in which the plurality of documents, each of which corresponds to one of the plurality of pieces of document image data, have been placed on the platen in accordance with at least the positions of the plurality of pieces of document image data, each of which corresponds to one of the plurality of documents placed on the platen; and
assigning the order acquired in the acquiring of the order to the plurality of pieces of document image data, wherein
a direction in which the plurality of documents have been placed on the platen is deduced based on a temporal change in a combination of document presence states.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing an image scanning program causing a computer to function as the image scanning device according to claim 1.