Color information reading apparatus for reading binary data

Abstract

A color information reading apparatus wherein the apparatus basically comprises an original information reading unit provided with a photoelectric converter element, for scanning an original once with each of first and second light of different colors so as to convert light reflected from the original into electric signals, thereby outputting the converted respective signals in line sequence, an amplifier for amplifying each output from the photoelectric converter element, a bi-level digitizing circuit for representing the output of the amplifier in binary form, a plurality of line memories for storing therein data output from the bi-level digitizing circuit, a threshold level shifting device for changing the threshold level to another for each pixel, a color discriminating circuit for discriminating among colors base on data representing in binary form the signal obtained by scanning the original with the first light and data representing in binary form the signal obtained by scanning the original with the second light, and a color processing circuit for converting the output from the color discriminating circuit into either a white signal or a black signal so as to output the converted signal therefrom when the output of the color discriminating circuit differs from the output of the color discriminating circuit prior to one pixel.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.