Abstract: An image scanning apparatus and method are provided in which shading data of the image scanning apparatus is acquired when manufacturing the image scanning apparatus, which is when a white reference or the shading data is cleanest. An original document is scanned using the shading data acquired when manufacturing the image scanning apparatus and shading data of non-contaminated regions of a white reference or shading reference, thereby eliminating distortion such as white lines in an image caused by pollutants stuck to the shading reference or the white reference and improving the performance of the image scanning apparatus.

Abstract: An image scanning apparatus and method are provided in which shading data of the image scanning apparatus is acquired when manufacturing the image scanning apparatus, which is when a white reference or the shading data is cleanest. An original document is scanned using the shading data acquired when manufacturing the image scanning apparatus and shading data of non-contaminated regions of a white reference or shading reference, thereby eliminating distortion such as white lines in an image caused by pollutants stuck to the shading reference or the white reference and improving the performance of the image scanning apparatus.

Abstract: The reproduced image quality of a shuttle scanner is enhanced by automatically compensating for the scanner's assembly tolerances, using a method for correcting vertical alignment error in a shuttle scanner. The method includes the steps of: (a) initializing a block count of a document to be scanned to a value of N; (b) scanning the Nth block and rasterizing the scanned block into a dot image; (c) shifting each dot of the dot image formed by the rasterized block according to a set of pre-stored correction values; and (d) incrementing the block count and performing the steps (b) through (d) until reaching the end of the document being scanned. The set of pre-stored correction values is produced by the steps of: scanning at least one block of a reference pattern formed on the document to be scanned; comparing the scanned reference pattern with an ideal reference line to calculate a shift value for each dot of the scanned at least one block; and storing the calculated shift values in a memory device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for compensating for inter-block distortion of a scanned image prevents duplicate images between blocks from being read in an overlapped condition and from being read in a gapped condition (data omission) when an image is scanned by being divided into a number of blocks. The method and apparatus include the steps and functions of: scanning a reference pattern having a vertical dimension made up of a number of dots which is fewer than a number of pixels of an optical sensor; calculating a magnification factor of a scanner module by comparing the vertical dimension of a scanned image with that of the reference pattern; and correcting an image distortion occurring between adjacent image blocks using the relative sizes or dimensions of the scanned image and the reference pattern.

Abstract: A device and a method for automatically detecting and clearing clogged nozzles. To detect clogged nozzles a print head controller causes a print head to print on a sheet of paper by sending a number of electric signals that cause the print head to expel ink through nozzles. The print head controller sends an electric-signal causing a print head to print. A scanner scans the area on the paper where the print head was supposed to have ejected ink. Then, an image processor converts the read data into binary data. The binary data is then analyzed by a detection processor that determines if there is any indication of missing ink drops. If missing ink drops are detected, a nozzle cleaning processor sends signals to the print head to cause the clogged nozzles to purge and expel impurities so that optimum printing quality is restored.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for scanning documents by a machine including a scanner that moves back and forth, which is capable of preventing unnecessary consumption of printing ink or toner associated with processing unnecessary data by scanning a block of a document support and storing the scanned data as a reference block, scanning the document and generating a document block, comparing the reference block and the document block and detecting a rightmost location of the document, processing data before the rightmost location as document data and processing data after the rightmost location white or skipping the data after the rightmost location.

Abstract: A scanning area detection method applies to a shuttle scanner having a position sensor mounted with respect to a paper guide of the shuttle scanner, with the position sensor outputting an electrical signal indicative of the position of the paper guide. The method includes the steps of: adjusting the position of the paper guide according to the width of a document to be scanned; determining a width value of the document to be scanned according to the electrical signal output of the position sensor and storing the detected width value in a memory; and scanning a block by slices while incrementing a slice coefficient, at least until the slice coefficient of the last scanned slice of the block reaches the stored width value. The shuttle scanner processes block slices corresponding to a physical scanning limit of the shuttle scanner minus the determined width value, as extra-document data.

Abstract: A facsimile machine scans one document page which is a mixture of an elaborative image and a normal image, and transmits the elaborative image portion in a fine mode and the normal image portion in a standard mode, so as to save a transmission time, maintaining the quality of the image. To this end, a previous line is compared with a current line to detect a dot number difference. If the dot number difference is not greater than a predetermined value, a command code is transmitted to a called facsimile machine to print the same image data as that of the previous line. Otherwise, if the dot number difference is greater than the predetermined value, the scanning data is coded by the existing coding method and transmitted to the called facsimile machine. In this way, it may be possible to save the data transmission time.