US 6,463,220 B1 · Method and apparatus for indicating a field of view for a document camera

Abstract

A document camera is described for capturing an electronic image of a document, for subsequent optical character recognition. In order to avoid the need for a user to look through a viewfinder of the camera, the camera comprises a projector for projecting an optical field of view indicator on to the document. The user can see the projected indicator on the document page, indicating the effective field of view of the camera. The camera may include auto-focus and zooming mechanisms. In one form, the camera processes a detected image to determine a capture zone corresponding to whole regions of the document falling entirely within the field of view. The projected indicator is controlled to indicate only the capture zone. When the image is to be captured, the camera zooms in to the capture zone to capture the image at maximum resolution.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A document camera, comprising:

a lens with a zoom mechanism;
a photo detector for capturing a first electronic image of a document imaged by the lens;
an image processor for processing the first electronic image of the document captured by the photo detector;
the image processor determining a capture zone within the first electronic image of the document;
the capture zone identifying one or more complete zones within the first electronic image of the document imaged by the lens;
a projector for projecting a field of view indicator onto the document imaged by the tens that identifies the capture zone;
a controller for controlling the zoom mechanism to capture a second electronic image of the capture zone identified by the field of view indicator;
the second electronic image recording the capture zone with a greater resolution than the first electronic image.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for indicating a field of view for a document camera

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for indicating a field of view for a document camera

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20