US 5,719,970 AGranted

Image processing method and device

AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation

InventorsMikio Aoki, Takashi Nitta

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Abstract

A two-line sensor type image input and processing apparatus and method for accurately determining the current scan state, start of scanning and end of scanning events, as well as estimating scanning speed corresponding thereto, and for performing high precision distortion correction on the basis of these estimated scanning speeds. This image input and processing method or apparatus may comprise 1) overall speed judgment that judges the scanning speed based on feature data from the two sensors; 2) stop state judgment that judges whether or not the image input member is in a scan stop state with the input switch for facilitating image data input in the ON state; 3) pre/post stop state speed judgment that judges the scanning speed before and after the scan stop state based on the scan stop time judged by stop state judgment and the overall scanning speed judged by overall speed judgment; 4) scan start judgment that judges whether or not the image input member started scanning; 5) scan start speed judgment that judges the scanning speed at scan start; 6) scan end judgment that judges whether or not the image input member has ended scanning; 7) scan end speed judgment that judges the scanning speed at scan end; 8) ring buffer write end position updating that uses a ring buffer as the buffer for storing image data and updates the write end address in the ring buffer; and means for correcting images based on speed and start/stop information generated from these various speed judgment devices or processes.

Claims55

Dependent claims

An image acquisition and processing device, comprising:

an image input member for acquiring character and graphical information from a document, said image input member comprising:
a scan activation means for selectively activating and deactivating scanning operations within said image input member;
and
spaced apart first and second sensors for reading the character and graphical information when illuminated by a light source and converting the read-in information into corresponding first and second image data streams in response to said scan activation means;
and
an image processing member in communication with said image input member, said image processing member comprising:
a buffer in communication with said image input member for receiving and storing the first and second image data streams;
an overall speed judgment device in communication with said buffer for extracting image features for the first and second image data streams, comparing the extracted features for the first and second image data streams and obtaining correlation and time-offset information therefrom, and generating overall scanning speed in response to the obtained correlation and time-offset information;
a stop state judgment device in communication with said buffer for detecting when said image input member is in a scan stop state with said scan activation means activating scan operations, and determining a scan stop time interval if the scan stop state is so detected;
a pre/post stop state speed judgment device in communication with said overall speed judgment and stop state judgment devices for generating scanning speeds immediately prior to and after the scan stop time interval when the scan stop state is detected based on the overall scanning speed generated by said overall speed judgment device;
and
an image corrector in communication with said overall speed judgment device and said pre/post stop state speed judgment device for correcting scanning distortion present in one of the stored image data streams based on the scanning speeds generated by said pre/post stop state speed judgment and overall speed judgment devices.

9 more elements

An image acquisition and processing device, comprising:

an image input member for acquiring character and graphical information from a document, said image input member comprising:
a scan activation means for selectively activating and deactivating scanning operations within said image input member;
and
spaced apart first and second sensors for reading the character and graphical information when illuminated by a light source and converting the read-in information into corresponding first and second image data streams in response to said scan activation means;
and
an image processing member in communication with said image input member, said image processing member comprising:
a buffer in communication with said image input member for receiving and storing the first and second image data streams;
an overall speed judgment device in communication with said buffer for extracting image features for the first and second image data streams, comparing the extracted features for the first and second image data streams and obtaining correlation and time-offset information therefrom, and generating overall scanning speed in response to the obtained correlation and time-offset information;
a scan start judgment device in communication with said buffer for detecting when said image input member has commenced scanning movement with said scan activation means activating scan operations, and generating a scan start event if scanning movement has been so detected;
and
a scan start speed judgment device in communication with said scan start judgment device, said overall speed judgment device for generating a scanning speed at the scan start event generated by said scan start judgment device;
and
an image corrector in communication with said overall speed judgment device and said scan start speed judgment device for correcting scanning distortion present in one of the stored image data streams based on the scanning speeds generated by said scan start speed judgment and overall speed judgment devices.

10 more elements

An image acquisition and processing device, comprising:

an image input member for acquiring character and graphical information from a document, said image input member comprising:
a scan activation means for selectively activating and deactivating scanning operations within said image input member;
and
spaced apart first and second sensors for reading the character and graphical information when illuminated by a light source and converting the read-in information into corresponding first and second image data streams in response to said scan activation means;
and
an image processing member in communication with said image input member, said image processing member comprising:
a buffer in communication with said image input member for receiving and storing the first and second image data streams;
an overall speed judgment device in communication with said buffer for extracting image features for the first and second image data streams, comparing the extracted features for the first and second image data streams and obtaining correlation and time-offset information therefrom, and generating overall scanning speed in response to the obtained correlation and time-offset information;
a scan end judgment device in communication with said buffer for detecting when said image input member has terminated scanning movement with said scan activation means activating scan operations, and generating a scan end event if no scanning movement has been so detected;
and
a scan end speed judgment device in communication with said scan end judgment device and said overall speed judgment device for generating a scanning speed at the scan end event generated by said scan end judgment device;
and
an image corrector in communication with said overall speed judgment device and said scan end speed judgment device for correcting scanning distortion present in one of the stored image data streams based on the scanning speeds generated by said scan end speed judgment and overall speed judgment devices.

10 more elements

A method for acquiring and processing images presented on a document, comprising the steps of:

(A) scanning at least one document image into a plurality of image data streams when a scan activation button of an image input member is depressed;
(B) storing the image data streams into a buffer;
(C) extracting image features form the stored image data streams;
(D) comparing the extracted image features of the stored image data streams;
(E) obtaining correlation and time-offset information based on the extracted image features compared in said comparing step (D);
(F) calculating an overall scanning speed based on the correlation and time-offset information obtained in said obtaining step (E);
(G) detecting a scan stop event based on the stored image data streams when the scan activation button of the image input member is depressed;
(H) determining a scan stop time interval if the scan stop is detected in said detecting step (G);
(I) estimating scanning speeds immediately before and after the scan stop time interval determined in said determining step (H), based on the overall scanning speed calculated in said calculating step (F), when the scan stop event is detected in said detecting step (G);
(J) detecting a scan start event based on the stored image data streams when the scan activation button of the image input member is depressed;
(K) estimating a scanning speed at the scan start event based on the overall scanning speed calculated in said calculating step (F) when the scan start event in detected in said detecting step (J);
(L) detecting a scan end event when the image input member has terminated scanning movement with the scan activation button released;
(M) estimating a scanning speed at the scan end event based on the overall scanning speed calculated in said calculating step (F) when the scan end event is detected in said detecting step (L);
and
(N) correcting scanning distortion present in one of the stored image data streams based on the scanning speeds estimated in said estimating steps (I), (K), and (M) and the overall scanning speed calculated in said calculating step (F).

12 more elements

An article of manufacture, comprising a computer usable medium having readable code means embodied therein for processing a plurality of image data streams developed through scanning a document by an input image member having a scan activation button, the computer readable program code means comprising:

(A) computer readable program code means for storing the image data streams into a buffer;
(B) computer readable program code means for extracting image features form the stored image data streams;
(C) computer readable program code means for comparing the extracted image features of the stored image data streams;
(D) computer readable program code means for obtaining correlation and time-offset information based on the extracted image features compared in said comparing means (C);
(E) computer readable program code means for calculating an overall scanning speed based on the correlation and time-offset information obtained in said obtaining means (D);
(F) computer readable program code means for detecting a scan stop event based on the stored image data streams when the scan activation button of the image input member is depressed;
(G) computer readable program code means for determining a scan stop time interval if the scan stop is detected in said detecting means (F);
(H) computer readable program code means for estimating scanning speeds immediately before and after the scan stop time interval determined in said determining means (G), based on the overall scanning speed calculated in said calculating means (E), when the scan stop event is detected in said detecting means (F);
(I) computer readable program code means for detecting a scan start event based on the stored image data streams when the scan activation button of the image input member is depressed;
(J) computer readable program code means for estimating a scanning speed at the scan start event based on the overall scanning speed calculated in said calculating means (E) when the scan start event in detected in said detecting means (I);
(K) computer readable program code means for detecting a scan end event when the image input member has terminated scanning movement with the scan activation button released;
(L) computer readable program code means for estimating a scanning speed at the scan end event based on the overall scanning speed calculated in said calculating means (E) when the scan end event is detected in said detecting means (K);
and
(M) computer readable program code means for correcting scanning distortion present in one of the stored image data streams based on the scanning speeds estimated in said estimating means (H), (J), and (L) and the overall scanning speed calculated in said calculating means (E).

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/585,583Filed 16 Jan 1996 · continuation in part
Priority: JP 6-1574518 Jul 1994
Granted: 17 Feb 1998
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

H04N 1/047
Scanning arrangements , i.e. arrangements for the displacement of active reading or reproducing elements relative to the original or reproducing…:…
H04N 1/107
Using flat picture-bearing surfaces: with manual scanning
H04N 1/193
Simultaneously or substantially simultaneously scanning picture elements on one main scanning line: using electrically scanned linear arrays ,…
H04N 2201/02439
Arrangements for positioning elements within a head: positioning method