Automatic intensity control of the lamp within image scanning apparatus

Abstract

The instant invention provides an automatic intensity control of the lamp within the scanning apparatus such that the quality of the output of the image scanning operation is set to a controlled level. Also, the programmable intensity control of the lamp within the scanning apparatus in accordance with the preference of the user of the image scanner apparatus is made possible by the invention. The image scanning apparatus comprises an image capture device and a light source device. The image capture device receives a light signal passing through the original and generates a light control signal, responsive to the intensity of the light, i.e. brightness, received. The light source device is powered by a power supply to irradiate the light of desired intensity, responsive to the light control signal, to illuminate the original. In auto-brightness mode, the intensity of the light irradiated from the lamp is set to a constant value when the intensity of lamp drifts. In manual-brightness mode, the user may change the intensity of the light irradiated from the lamp via utility program run in a personal computer such that the output of the image scanning process meets his/her preference.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.