Patents Examined by Cheukfan Lee
  • Patent number: 10171701
    Abstract: An image scanning apparatus includes an image capturing unit, a pulse driving unit and a control unit. The image capturing unit captures an image of an object. The pulse driving unit drives the image capturing unit and the object along a scanning direction to move with respect to each other among multiple pulse nodes, so as to scan the object. The control unit is electrically connected to the pulse driving unit and the image capturing unit, and the control unit controls the image capturing unit to capture multiple images of the object between adjacent pulse nodes, so as to synthesize a scanned image corresponding to the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: MICROTEK INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventor: Chin-Lai Wu
  • Patent number: 10171694
    Abstract: A conveyance device that conveys paper through a conveyance path along a surface thereof includes: a conveyance guide that has a guide surface to be a wall surface on one side of the conveyance path, an opening being formed in the guide surface; a paper detection unit at least including a detection member, which is arranged in a space that communicates with the conveyance path through the opening, and configured to detect, with the detection member, a leading end of the paper that reaches the opening; and a movable body that brings the detection member into a retracted state, in which a main part thereof is covered from the space, after the leading end of the paper is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Yutaka Mizota, Ichiro Muramatsu, Akiyoshi Johdai
  • Patent number: 10162096
    Abstract: A light guide includes a first exit portion emitting first exiting light, a second exit portion emitting second exiting light in a different direction than the first exiting light, and a reflecting portion reflecting light entering the light guide to each of the first and second exit portions. The first and second exit portions respectively have first and second curved surfaces each having a convex cross section perpendicular to the long axis direction. The second exit portion is connected to the first exit portion in the direction perpendicular to the long axis direction. The reflecting portion is provided, in a plane facing the first exit portion and the second exit portion, at a position shifted in the direction perpendicular to the long axis direction from a position where a normal to the plane passes through a connection portion between the first and second exit portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Akiko Fujiuchi, Hironobu Arimoto, Taku Matsuzawa
  • Patent number: 10148841
    Abstract: A scanner comprising a platen, a first laser assembly movable along a first axis, a second laser assembly movable along a second axis substantially orthogonal to the first axis, and laser movement controllers configured to control the movement of the laser assemblies along their axes. The laser assemblies comprise laser emitters configured to project laser lines on the platen that illustrate edges the current scan area, such that the dimensions and/or position of the scan area can be adjusted by moving the laser lines on the platen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Tommy Yue
  • Patent number: 10136019
    Abstract: An illumination apparatus includes a light source and an elongated light guide, wherein the light guide includes an emission surface that emits light from the light source and a reflection surface that reflects the light to the emission surface, the reflection surface includes a plurality of diffusion portions that diffuse the light, the diffusion portions have a shape of part of a sphere recessed from the reflection surface, a depth of the diffusion portions from the reflection surface is equal to or greater than 16.5% and equal to or smaller than 50% of a diameter of the sphere, and a width of the diffusion portions is equal to or greater than 0.1 mm and equal to or smaller than 50% of a width of the reflection surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: CANON COMPONENTS, INC.
    Inventors: Hidemasa Yoshida, Yoshihiko Tsumekawa, Akihito Takeshita
  • Patent number: 10129423
    Abstract: A Contact Image Sensor (CIS) module in combination with a Field-Programmer Gate Array (FPGA) of an image device cooperate to identify, track, and record media document images for media documents being tracked within a valuable media depository/dispenser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventor: Slavko Seremet
  • Patent number: 10110777
    Abstract: An image scanning apparatus captures multiple images of an object corresponding to different heights at each scanning position, analyzes the resolutions of the multiple images to choose one best partial image, and combines the partial images at different scanning positions to produce a scanned image of the object, so as to improve the resolution of the scanned image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: MICROTEK INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventor: Chin-Lai Wu
  • Patent number: 10097712
    Abstract: A control unit causes a carriage to move in a width direction under a first movement control of changing a location of the carriage with a first resolution so that a sensor located forward in movement detects an edge of a medium. Thereafter, the first movement control is switched to a second movement control of changing the location of the carriage with a second resolution higher than the first resolution and the carriage is caused to move in the width direction so that a sensor located rearward in movement detects the edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Noritsuna Rokuhara, Tetsuji Takeishi
  • Patent number: 10097710
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus which reads an image of a document is provided with a transport unit (rollers, and the like) which transports a document, a reading unit which reads a document, a double feeding detecting sensor (double feeding detecting unit) which can detect double feeding of a document, and a carrier sheet sensor (CS sensor) (sheet detecting unit) which detects a carrier sheet which is transported in a state of interposing a document between two transparent sheet portions. The CS sensor is provided at a position on the upstream side of the double feeding detecting sensor in the transport direction, in a transport direction of a document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Shinsuke Kogi
  • Patent number: 10091382
    Abstract: Provided is an illumination apparatus that applies light to an original, the illumination apparatus including: a light source; and a rod-shaped light guide including: an incident surface that receives the light from the light source; a reflection surface provided with a diffusion portion that diffuses the light incident on the incident surface; and an emission surface that emits, to the original, the light diffused by the diffusion portion. An area of the light guide is reduced by an inclination of the light guide from the incident surface side to a middle part in a longitudinal direction of the light guide, and the light guide is provided with the diffusion portion from the incident surface side to the middle part on the reflection surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: CANON COMPONENTS, INC.
    Inventors: Hidemasa Yoshida, Yoshihiko Tsumekawa, Akihito Takeshita
  • Patent number: 10091392
    Abstract: The present invention provides a technique capable of obtaining image data without a missing part even in a case where a business form is not rectangular. An image reading device including a reading unit which reads an image of a business form, the image reading device includes a skew angle calculation unit which calculates a skew angle used for correcting inclination of the business form according to image data of the image read by the reading unit, a circumscribed region detection unit which generates an image after a first skew correction obtained by rotating the image according to the skew angle, scans the generated image after the first skew correction, and thus detects a circumscribed quadrangle circumscribed around the image of the business form and included in the image after the first skew correction, and an image cutout unit which cuts out a business-form image after cutout from the image read by the reading unit, according to coordinates of four corner points of the circumscribed quadrangle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Hitachi Information & Telecommunication Engineering, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toyohiro Negami, Kazumi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 10079948
    Abstract: According to detection results of a plurality of original document detectors, an image reading apparatus determines whether or not correcting skew of an original document is possible, controls a pair of a plurality of transport rollers in a case where it is determined that correcting the skew of the original document is possible, and corrects the skew of the original document by making transporting speeds of the pair of the plurality of transport rollers different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Naito, Hiroshi Kusuda, Takefusa Ogata, Katsuji Ichimaru, Kenji Fukuta, Terumi Tsuda
  • Patent number: 10063732
    Abstract: In a line sensor including color filters that are periodically disposed in a light-receiving-element row, a problem called a “mixture of colors” occurs. A “mixture of colors” occurs when light that has been transmitted through a color filter differing from a color filter corresponding to a light receiving element is incident upon the light receiving element. In a CMOS sensor 107 including a light-receiving-element row in which a plurality of photodiodes 1204 are disposed side by side in a main scanning direction and a plurality of color filters 1202 that are disposed in correspondence with the plurality of photodiodes 1204, the center of each color filter 1202 is displaced in a direction of the center of the light-receiving-element row from the center of the photodiode 1204 corresponding to the color filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daisuke Akagi, Masanori Ogura, Jun Iba, Atsushi Furubayashi
  • Patent number: 10057441
    Abstract: A driving device of the present invention includes a drive wire and a drive pulley. The drive pulley has a fixing hole and a guide groove on a wire-winding surface thereof on which the drive wire is wound. The drive wire is disposed in the guide groove and fixed in a fixing hole by a fixing member. A bottom face of the guide groove has a curved face portion formed in a boundary region of the wire-winding surface and the guide groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Iguchi, Kenji Nakanishi, Shohichi Fukutome, Yasuhiro Suto, Hiroki Kuruma
  • Patent number: 10038819
    Abstract: Provided is a signal processing apparatus that enables an image reading apparatus to perform higher speed processing of reading a document image. A signal processing unit is configured to convert six analog image signals obtained from a line sensor into six first signals, each of which is a 10-bit digital image signal, respectively, and to write the six first signals into a RAM at a first speed that is the same as a frequency of the analog image signals. The signal processing unit is configured to cause a serialization unit to read out from the RAM the six first signals as four second signals, each of which is a 10-bit digital image signal, at a second speed higher than the first speed, respectively, and to serialize the four second signals to generate six 7-bit serial signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazunori Togashi
  • Patent number: 10038811
    Abstract: An image reading device of the present invention includes a reading unit in which a lighting system and an optical system are mounted, a controller provided at a position where the controller does not transfer along with the reading unit, and a flexible flat cable that includes a curved portion and connects the reading unit with the controller. The lighting system includes an elongated light conductor extended in the main scanning direction and an end portion light source arranged at the end portion of the light conductor. The flexible flat cable is arranged on the outside of the optical system and on the lower side of the light conductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Masahiko Tanaka, Yuki Higuchi
  • Patent number: 10027831
    Abstract: An image-reading unit includes an original document conveyor that includes a first original document tray to hold an original document to be read, a first original document feeding port to feed the original document placed on the first original document tray, and an original document conveying path to convey the original document from the first original document feeding port to an original document discharging port. The original document conveyor further includes an openable second original document tray attached near an intermediate portion of the original document conveying path to hold an original document when opened, and a second original document feeding port to feed the original document on the second original document tray. The image-reading unit further includes an image reader to read an image of the original document being conveyed along the original document conveying path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuji Kawai, Yasunobu Youda, Yohei Osanai, Tatsuaki Nagano, Satoshi Narai, Toshiyuki Horikawa, Daisuke Imaki, Takayuki Andoh, Susumu Miyazaki, Tetsuo Inui, Yuki Fujii, Koichi Ono, Takeshi Shikama, Shingo Shiramura, Hideo Tanaka
  • Patent number: 10027846
    Abstract: A light guide body (2) includes a light guide main body (21), a band region (4), and radial microstructures (5). The light guide main body (21) is columnar, and light enters the light guide main body (21) from at least one end portion (3). The band region (4) is formed extending in the lengthwise direction of a portion of a circumferential surface of the light guide main body (21). The radial microstructures (5) are arranged in the band region (4) and are formed as microstructures that each have protruding parts extending radially in at least three directions in a band region portion from a reference point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Fumika Oshiyama, Taku Matsuzawa, Toru Aramaki
  • Patent number: 10027835
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes: a movable body configured to illuminate a document with light; and an apparatus body configured to wirelessly transmit power to the movable body, wherein the movable body includes receiver coils, and a feed circuit in which the receiver coils uses receiving power to supply power to a load, the apparatus body includes transmitter coils placed along a track of the receiver coils, the transmitter coils and the receiver coils are placed such that power supply efficiency of any receiver coil with the transmitter coil placed along the track of the receiver coil fluctuates, and power supply efficiency related to one receiver coil increases at a position where power supply efficiency related to the other receiver coil drops, and the feed circuit supplies power sequentially using the receiving power of the receiver coil whose power supply efficiency is increased to highest among the receiver coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Takeshi Ishida, Tatsuya Eguchi, Isao Watanabe, Hiroaki Takatsu, Taku Kimura, Atomu Nakashima
  • Patent number: 10015335
    Abstract: A medium transport device includes a feeding roller which sends a medium to a downstream side; and a detecting unit which can detect the medium sent by the feeding roller at a predetermined position on a transport path, in which the detecting unit includes a lever member of which a posture is changed when being in contact with the medium, and a detecting portion which detects a change in posture of the lever member, and the lever member applies an external force which causes at least a part of the medium to be bent in a gravity direction by being in contact with the medium in a predetermined posture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Ryoichi Shuto