Drive system for digitizing scanning apparatus
OwnerRichard K. Gerlachinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A drive system for a digitizing scanning apparatus of the type which scans an image, such as a light transmissive document in the nature of an x-ray or the like, and enables generation of digital signals representative of that image. The drive system is uniquely designed with three main drive rollers and a pair of idler rollers operable in combination therewith for driving the light transmissive document in such manner that there is a relatively constant drive force on the document which is independent of document thickness and which also allows for a uniform driving movement without any shatter or vibration in the document, which would otherwise distort and materially interfere with proper screening and digitizing of the document.
Claims15
A drive system for digitizing scanning apparatus which allows for a uniform driving force to be applied to a document to be scanned without imposition of chatter to the document, said drive system comprising:
- a) a first drive roller and a second drive roller located in generally vertically spaced apart arrangement;
- b) a third drive roller located intermediately between and having its axis of rotation offset from the axis of rotation of said first and second drive rollers, said third drive roller providing driving contact between the first and second drive rollers;
- c) means providing a driving force to one of said drive rollers causing that drive roller to become a powered drive roller and which driving force is imparted to the other of the drive roller therefrom;
- and
- d) at least one floating idler roller in juxtaposed relationship to one of said drive rollers and being biased away from said one of said drive rollers by a thickness of a document to be received thereby and to receive a document therebetween.
A drive system for digitizing scanning apparatus which allows for uniform driving force to be applied to a document to be scanned without imposition of chatter to the document, said drive system comprising:
- a) a first drive roller and a second drive roller located in generally vertically spaced apart arrangement;
- b) a first idler roller disposed in juxtaposed relationship to and adapted for operative contact with said first drive roller and being shiftable with respect thereto to receive a document to be scanned;
- c) a second idler roller disposed in juxtaposed relationship to said second drive roller and being shiftable with respect thereto to receive the document to be scanned therebetween;
- and
- d) means for allowing said idler rollers to be biased away from and toward said respective drive rollers.
A method for driving a document to be scanned and digitized through a scanning path and which allows for variations in thickness of successive documents and which also does not impart chatter to the documents being scanned, said method comprising:
- a) passing a light transmissive document to be scanned between a first drive roller and a first idler roller operating in conjunction therewith;
- b) passing said document past a second drive roller, but not in contact with that second drive roller;
- c) passing the document to be scanned between a third drive roller and second idler roller operating in conjunction with the third drive roller;
- and
- d) allowing said first idler roller to shift relative to said first drive roller in order to accommodate the thickness of the document and allowing the second idler roller to shift relative to the third drive roller in order to accommodate the thickness of said documents.
An apparatus for scanning and digitizing an image on a document for purposes of transmission or storage, said apparatus comprising:
- a) a first drive roller and a second drive roller located in generally vertically spaced apart arrangement;
- b) a third drive roller located intermediately between and having its axis of rotation offset from the axis of rotation of said first and second drive rollers, said third drive roller providing driving contact between the first and second drive rollers;
- c) means providing a driving force to one of said drive rollers causing that drive roller to become a powered drive roller and which driving force is imparted to the other of the drive roller therefrom;
- and
- d) at least one floating idler roller in juxtaposed relationship to one of said drive rollers and receiving a document therebetween;
- e) projecting light from a light source onto and through said document as said document passes between said drive rollers;
- and
- f) scanning the image on said document with respect to the light source and digitizing that image for ultimate storage and transmission.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.