Abstract: A flat bed scanner for accurate scanning of document information includes a means for moving an image-bearing member, such as a document, under a slot in a bottom of an enclosure. The enclosure has a diffusely-reflecting internal surface so as to define a light-integrating space within the enclosure. The slot and a window in the enclosure side provide access for light between the exterior and the interior of the enclosure. Means are provided for directing a scanning beam of light through the window and the slot to form a moving spot on a portion of the document. Detector means are provided for sensing the intensity of light diffusely reflected into the enclosed space from the spot. An electronic signal, related to the intensity of the reflected light, is produced to describe the scanned document information. To compensate for variation in the light path length due to an angular scanning motion, a beam path length compensation means is included.

Abstract: A scanner system includes a light source for producing a light beam and scanning components for directing the light beam to a spot on a surface to be scanned that is located at a predetermined location relative to the scanning means, moving the spot across the surface along a scan line of predetermined length in a series of scan cycles. The system includes a pixel clock that produces a train of clock pulses during each of the scan cycles using a VCO circuit for producing the train of clock pulses and a control circuit for varying the timing of the clock pulses. The control circuit includes an waveshaping circuit for causing the control signal to have a waveform such that the timing of the clock pulses varies according to the position of the spot along the scan line in order to compensate for scanner non-linearity in a manner reducing pixel position distortion.

Abstract: An electronic printer with a scanner for scanning the document pages of a job and converting the document images scanned to pixels, a printer for making prints of the documents from the pixels in accordance with job programming instructions, the scanner and printer operating asynchronously with respect to one another, and proofing of one or more pages of a job is effected by interrupting the job currently being scanned by the scanner to scan the proof job while continuing printing of other jobs in the print queue, and when the proof job is ready, interrupting the job being printed to print the proof job while resuming scanning of the interrupted job.

Abstract: A scanner device can be used in a facsimile machine or the like for reading a document on line basis. Each line of the document is read on pixel basis while irradiating a light onto the document. The scanner device includes an image sensor which receives a light reflected from the document and converts the light to an analog electrical signal. A controller controls the reading operation of the image sensor. A comparator translates the analog electric signal into a binary signal. The binary signal is stored in a shift register wherein the contents therein represents an image of a preceding line with respect to the present line being read by the image sensor. A threshold value applied to the comparator to read the present line image is varied depending upon the preceding line data stored in the shift register. As such, images on the document can be read with excellent fidelity, particularly when a fine line extending in a main scanning direction is present on the document.

Abstract: A picture signal encoding of a predictive encoding type. The encoding process is performed so that a summation between a quantized error of codes respectively representing at least two slots in one of N (N is an integer greater than 1) quantizing patterns, for current value data and a quantized error to be obtained when next value data is coded according to at least two quantizing patterns.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including an image reading unit for reading image data with movement of a scanner, an image forming unit for forming an image in accordance with the image data from the image reading unit, a first circuit for permitting the image forming unit to execute image forming in accordance with image data acquired by a forward movement of the scanner in the image reading unit, and a second circuit for permitting the image forming unit to execute image forming in accordance with image data acquired by a return movement of the scanner in the image reading unit. The first and second circuits thus permit the image forming unit to carry out image forming in the return movement as well as the forward movement of the scanner of the image reading unit.

Abstract: An image data processor including various subprocessors arranged in a pipeline for carrying out functions such as pixel normalization, background suppression, spot and void removal, image scaling, and size detection.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus that converts multi-level pixel data to binary pixel data and outputs it includes, in one embodiment, an input device for accepting multi-level pixel data, a binary conversion device for converting multi-level pixel data input from the input device to binary pixel data on the basis of a threshold value, an output device for outputting the binary pixel data which has been binarized by the binary conversion device, a first and a second memory in which errors and binary pixel data are stored, respectively, a correction device for correcting multi-level pixel data, a first and a second average density computation device for computing an average density value, a computation device for computing the average value of the average density values computed by the first and second average density computation devices as a threshold value, a detection device for detecting an error value, and a distribution device for distributing an error value to unbinarized pixel positions.

Abstract: A contact type image sensor includes a light source for illuminating an original to be read and a substrate in which an optical fiber array member is assembled. The substrate is disposed such that one end of the optical fiber array member faces the original for transmitting a reflected light from the illuminated original therethrough. The contact type image sensor further includes a light detecting element array formed on the substrate and facing the other end of the optical fiber array member for receiving the transmitted light and converting the received light to an electrical signal. The contact type image sensor also includes a driving circuit disposed on the substrate and electrically connected to the light detecting element array for driving the light detecting element array.