Optical path for a scanning system
AssigneeAgfa Divisionn, Bayer Corporation
InventorJohn Depiano
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A scanning apparatus providing separate fixed object focal planes for transmissive and reflective original documents to be scanned, wherein a scan carriage containing illumination, sensor, and optical elements is moved together to scan an original document and to obtain a digitized representation thereof. The movable scan carriage has an illumination source disposed between the reflective and transmissive object focal planes, with the object focal plane to be used selected by changing the position of a single mirror by a linear distance equal to the separation between the two object focal planes.
Claims25
A flat-bed scanner for scanning an original document to obtain a digitized representation of said original document, said flat-bed scanner comprising:
- (A) A stationary reflective object focal plane;
- (B) A stationary transmissive object focal plane disposed substantially parallel to and at a vertical distance below said stationary reflective object focal plane;
- (C) Means for selecting between said stationary reflective object focal plane and said stationary transmissive object focal plane;
- (D) A scan carriage movably disposed for linear motion along a scanning axis, said scan carriage including an illumination source disposed between said reflective object focal plane and said transmissive object focal plane for illuminating a scan line of said original document located in said selected object focal plane, said scan carriage further including optical imaging and sensor means disposed below said transmissive object focal plane for obtaining a digitized representation of said scan line;
- (E) Means for moving said scan carriage along said scanning axis to obtain digitized representations of successive scan lines of said original document, said digitized representations of said successive scan lines together comprising said digital representation of said original document;
- and,
- wherein said means for selecting between said stationary reflective object focal plane and said stationary transmissive object focal plane includes a mirror movably disposed between a first and second position, said first position defining a first optical path, said second position defining a second optical path, said first optical path intersecting said reflective object focal plane and extending therefrom to said sensor means and said second optical path intersecting said transmissive object focal plane and extending therefrom to said sensor means, said first and second optical paths having a substantially equal optical path length.
An apparatus for scanning an original document to obtain a digitized representation of said original document, said apparatus comprising:
- a stationary reflective object focal plane;
- a stationary transmissive object focal plane disposed substantially parallel to and at a distance apart from said stationary reflective object focal plane;
- a system for selecting between said stationary reflective object focal plane and said stationary transmissive object focal plane;
- a scan carriage movably disposed for linear motion along a scanning axis, said scan carriage including an illumination system disposed between said stationary reflective object focal plane and said stationary reflective object focal plane for illuminating a scan line of said original document located in said selected object focal plane, and a scanning assembly positioned below said stationary transmissive object focal plane for obtaining a digitized representation of said scan line;
- a system for moving said scan carriage along said scanning axis to obtain digitized representations of successive scan lines of said original document in said selected object focal plane, said digitized representations of said successive scan lines comprising said digital representation of said original document;
- and
- wherein said object focal plane selecting system includes a mirror movably disposed between a first and second position, said first position defining a first optical path, said second position defining a second optical path, said first optical path intersecting said stationary reflective object focal plane and extending therefrom to said scanning assembly and said second optical path intersecting said stationary transmissive object focal plane and extending therefrom to said scanning assembly, said first and second optical paths having a substantially equal optical path length.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.