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US 6,285,792 B1Granted
Image retrieval device for optically retrieving an image and obtaining binary image data from the image
AssigneeBrother Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorTatsuya Sato
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An image retrieval device including: an image retrieval unit for optically retrieving an image and outputting an analog image signal according to the image; an analog-to-digital conversion unit for converting the image signal from the image retrieval unit into multi-valued data for a number of pixels representing the image; and a pixel number conversion unit for reducing the number of pixels in the multi-valued data from the analog-to-digital converter by combining multi-valued data for predetermined pluralities of the number of pixels into multi-valued data for single pixels.
Claims25
An image retrieval device comprising:
- an image retrieval unit for optically retrieving an image and outputting an analog image signal according to the image;
- an analog-to-digital conversion unit for converting the image signal from the image retrieval unit into multi-valued data for a number of pixels representing the image;
- a pixel number conversion unit for reducing the number of pixels in the multi-valued data from the analog-to-digital conversion unit by combining multi-valued data for predetermined pluralities of the number of pixels into multi-valued data for single pixels;
- and
- a selection unit for receiving input of a selection signal from an external source and selectively outputting, according to the selection signal, at least one of multi-valued data directly from the analog-to-digital conversion unit and multi-valued data from the pixel number conversion unit,
- wherein the pixel number conversion unit includes:
- a hold circuit which receives, from the analog-to-digital conversion unit, multi-valued data for a first member of each of the predetermined pluralities of pixels and holds the multi-valued data for the first member until outputting the multi-valued data for the first member at a predetermined timing;
- a combining circuit which receives, at the predetermined timing, the multi-valued data for the first member from the hold circuit and, from the analog-to digital conversion unit, multi-valued data for a second member of each of the predetermined pluralities of pixels and which combines the multi-valued data for the first member and the multi-valued data for the second member into multi-valued data for a single pixel in each of the predetermined pluralities of pixels.
5 more elements
A facsimile machine comprising:
- an image retrieval unit for optically retrieving a single image and outputting an analog image signal according to the image;
- an image retrieval unit for optically retrieving a single image and outputting an analog image signal according to the single image;
- an analog-to-digital conversion unit for converting the image signal from the image retrieval unit into multi-valued data for a number of pixels representing the single image;
- a pixel number conversion unit for reducing the number of pixels in the multi-valued data from the analog-to-digital conversion unit by combining multi-valued data for predetermined pluralities of the number of pixels into multi-valued data for single pixels, wherein the pixel number conversion unit selecting, among the original multi-valued data for all the pixels of the single image, multi-valued data for at least two pixels, while remaining multi-valued data for at least one pixel, combining the selected multi-valued data into multi-valued data for pixels whose number is smaller than the number of the selected pixels, and outputting, for a reduced number of pixels compared to the number of all the pixels originally representing the single image, the resultant, combined multi-valued data together with the remaining, non-selected multi-valued data, thereby selectively combining the multi-valued data from the analog-to-digital conversion unit to produce multi-valued data for the reduced number of pixels compared to the multi-valued data from the analog-to-digital conversion unit;
- a mode setting unit for performing a setting operation to set one of a facsimile transmission mode, an image scanner mode, and a copy mode;
- a determining unit for determining which of multi-valued data directly from the analog-to-digital conversion unit and multi-valued data from the pixel number conversion unit should be outputted, depending on the setting operation performed by the mode setting unit;
- and
- a selection unit for selectively outputting the determined one of multi-valued data directly from the analog-to-digital conversion unit, and multi-valued data from the pixel number conversion unit, thereby enabling selective output of at least two different resolutions of data based on data from the image retrieval unit, and depending on setting operation performed by the mode setting unit.
5 more elements
An image retrieval devices comprising:
- an image retrieval unit for optically retrieving a single image and outputting an analog image signal according to the image;
- an analog-to-digital conversion unit for converting the image signal from the image retrieval unit into multi-valued data for a number of pixels representing the single image;
- a pixel number conversion unit that selects, among multi-valued data for all the pixels of the single image, multi-valued data for at least two pixels, while remaining multi-valued data for at least one pixel, that combines the selected multi-valued data into multi-valued data for pixels whose number is smaller than the number of the selected pixels, and that outputs, for a reduced number of pixels compared to the number of all the pixels originally representing the single image, the resultant, combined multi-valued data together with the remaining, non-selected multi-valued data, thereby selectively combining the multi-valued data from the analog-to-digital conversion unit to produce multi-valued data for the reduced number of pixels compared to the multi-valued data from the analog-to-digital conversion unit.
An image retrieval method, comprising the steps of:
- optically retrieving an image from an image recording medium;
- outputting an analog image signal according to the image;
- converting the image signal into multi-valued data for a number of pixels representing the image;
- reducing the number of pixels in the multi-valued data by combining multi-valued data for predetermined pluralities of the number of pixels into multi-valued data for single pixels;
- and
- selectively outputting at least one of multi-valued data which is not combined and multi-valued data which is combined;
- wherein said reducing step further comprises the steps of;
- receiving a multi-valued data for a first member of each of the predetermined pluralities of pixels;
- holding the multi-valued data for the first member until outputting the multi-valued data for the first member at a predetermined timing;
- receiving, at the predetermined timing, the multi-valued data for the first member and multi-valued data for a second member of each of the predetermined pluralities of pixels;
- and
- combining the multi-valued data for the first member and the multi-valued data for the second member into multi-valued data for a single pixel in each of the predetermined pluralities of pixels.
9 more elements
A facsimile method, comprising the steps of:
- optically retrieving a single image and outputting an analog image signal according to the image;
- converting the image signal into multi-valued data for a number of pixels representing the single image;
- reducing the number of pixels in the multi-valued data by combining multi-valued data for predetermined pluralities of the number of pixels into multi-valued data for single pixels, wherein the pixel number reducing step selecting, among the original multi-valued data for all the pixels of the single image, multi-valued data for at least two pixels, while remaining multi-valued data for at least one pixel, combining the selecting multi-valued data into multi-valued data for pixels whose number is smaller than the number of the selected pixels, and outputting, for a reduced number of pixels compared to the number of all the pixels originally representing the single image, the resultant, combined multi-valued data together with the remaining, non-selected multi-valued data, thereby selectively combining the multi-valued data to produce multi-valued data for the reduced number of pixels compared to the original multi-valued data;
- performing a mode setting operation to set one of a facsimile transmission mode, an image scanner mode, and a copy mode;
- determining which of the original multi-valued data and the combined data should be outputted, depending on the mode setting operation;
- and
- selectively outputting the determined one of the original multi-valued data and the combined multi-valued data, thereby enabling selective output of at least two different resolutions of data, and depending on the mode setting operation.
4 more elements
An image retrieval method, comprising the steps of:
- optically retrieving a single image and outputting an analog image signal according to the image;
- converting the image signal into multi-valued data for a number of pixels representing the single image;
- selecting, among multi-valued data for all the pixels of the single image, multi-valued data for at least two pixels, while remaining multi-valued data for at least one pixel;
- combining the selected multi-valued data into multi-valued data for pixels whose number is smaller than the number of the selected pixels, and
- outputting, for a reduced number of pixels compared to the number of all the pixels originally representing the single image, the resultant, combined multi-valued data together with the remaining, non-selected multi-valued data, thereby selectively combining the original multi-valued data to produce multi-valued data for the reduced number of pixels compared to the original multi-valued data.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.