Image reading apparatus and image reading method including a dividing unit that divides image data into vertical-streak-correction subject data
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorShingo Hayashi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image acquiring unit reads an original and outputs whole image data of the original including a vertical streak portion corresponding to a location of a foreign material on a read surface of the reading unit. A storing unit stores therein the image data output from the image acquiring unit. A dividing unit defines an edge portion of the image data and divides the image data into vertical-streak-correction subject data and image portion data. A vertical-streak correcting unit performs a correction process on the vertical-streak-correction subject data to compensate a degradation in image quality due to the foreign material.
Claims16
An image reading apparatus comprising:
- an automatic document feeding unit that automatically conveys an original;
- a reading unit that reads the original having a plurality of pixels thereon while the original is being conveyed by the automatic document feeding unit;
- and
- an image processing unit, wherein
- the reading unit includes
- an image acquiring unit configured to obtain pixel values that are light intensity reflected from the plurality of pixels on the original and output whole image data consisting of whole of the pixel values;
- a storing unit configured to store therein the whole image data output from the image acquiring unit without performing image processing on the whole image data;
- a dividing unit configured to define, when there exists a degradation portion in image quality that has a lower pixel value than a predetermined threshold value in the whole image data stored in the storing unit, image data of the degradation portion in image quality as a first image portion data and divide the whole image data into the first image portion data and a second image portion data that is remainder of the first portion image data;
- a degradation image portion correcting unit configured to receive the first image portion data divided by the dividing unit from the dividing unit, and perform a correction process on the first image portion data to compensate a degradation in image quality;
- and
- the image processing unit is configured to receive the second image portion data having been divided by the dividing unit from the dividing unit and the first image portion data corrected by the degradation image portion correcting unit from the degradation image portion correcting unit, and merge the second image portion data with, the first image portion data corrected by the degradation image portion correcting unit to obtain the merged whole image data and perform image processing on the merged whole image data.
A method of reading an image in an image reading apparatus that includes an automatic document feeding unit that automatically conveys an original, a reading unit that reads the original having a plurality of pixels thereon while the original is being conveyed by the automatic document feeding unit, and a storing unit that stores therein whole image data of the original, the method comprising:
- image acquiring including the reading unit obtaining pixel values that are light intensity reflected from the plurality of pixels on the original and outputting whole image data of whole of the pixel values;
- defining, when there exists a degradation portion in image quality that has a lower pixel value than a predetermined threshold value in the whole image data stored in the storing unit, image data of the degradation portion in image quality as a first image portion data and dividing the whole image data into the first image portion data and a second image portion data that is remainder of the first portion image data;
- receiving, in a degradation image portion correcting unit, the first image portion data divided;
- performing a correction process on the first image portion data to compensate a degradation in image quality;
- receiving the second image portion data having been divided and the first image portion data corrected by the degradation image portion correcting unit;
- merging the second image portion data with the first image portion data corrected by the degradation image portion correcting unit to obtain the merged whole image data;
- and
- performing image processing on the whole merged image data.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program codes embodied in the medium for reading an image in an image reading apparatus that includes an automatic document feeding unit that automatically conveys an original, a reading unit that reads the original having a plurality of pixels thereon while the original is being conveyed by the automatic document feeding unit, and a storing unit that stores therein whole image data of the original, the program codes when executed causing a computer to execute:
- image acquiring including the reading unit obtaining pixel values that are light intensity reflected from the plurality of pixels on the original and outputting whole image data of whole of the pixel values;
- defining, when there exists a degradation portion in image quality that has a lower pixel value than a predetermined threshold value in the whole image data stored in the storing unit, image data of the degradation portion in image quality as a first image portion data and dividing the whole image data into the first image portion data and a second image portion data that is remainder of the first portion image data;
- receiving, in a degradation image portion correcting unit, the first image portion data divided;
- performing a correction process on the first image portion data to compensate a degradation in image quality;
- receiving the second image portion data having been divided and the first image portion data corrected by the degradation image portion correcting unit;
- merging the second image portion data with the first image portion data corrected by the degradation image portion correcting unit to obtain the merged whole image data;
- and
- performing image processing on the whole merged image data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.