Abstract: A system for inspecting a condition of parts packaged on a printed-circuit board. The inspection system includes a position detecting device to receive scattered light due to illumination of the printed-circuit board with a laser beam and convert the received scattered light into a position signal. This position signal is used for obtaining luminance data and at least two height data of the parts on the printed-circuit board. Proper height data of the parts is determined on the basis of the difference between the two height data. The inspection system determines the package condition by comparing the final height data with a predetermined reference data.

Abstract: An apparatus for receiving input data values representing an array of picture elements of a source image containing one or more bar code regions, whereby the input data values are converted to bi-level values representing black or white states which are stored in an image memory, while in addition the bi-level values are processed to obtain data representing an image in which a "skeleton" central portion of the bar code region appears as an all-black region, while background black regions are eliminated. A central position and the slope of a central axis of the bar code region are computed based on that "skeleton" region, and data values in the image memory which conform to the central axis are then read out, to read the bar code data.

Abstract: A beam of light is applied to a surface of a circuit board provided with at least one solder portion. The light beam scans the surface of the circuit board. Height data are derived from a portion of the light beam which is scattered at the surface of the circuit board. The height data represent a height of a currently-scanned point of the surface of the circuit board. The height data are accumulatively added for the solder portion. A variation in the height data is calculated. The accumulative addition of the height data is executed and suspended in response to the calculated variation in the height data. A decision is made as to whether the solder portion is acceptable or unacceptable on the basis of a result of the accumulative addition.

Abstract: A linescan apparatus for detecting salient pattern on a surface of a product comprises: a laser light source for continuously emitting a laser beam; a polygon mirror for reflecting the laser beam; a drive for rotating the polygon mirror to scan said laser beam; an f.theta. lens arranged such that the linescan laser beam strikes against the plane perpendicularly; a carrying device for moving the product in the direction substantially perpendicular to the plane; a mirror for reflecting the linescan laser beam reflected at a surface of the product to direct the linescan laser beam to the polygon mirror through the f.theta. lens, the mirror being positioned apart from the second plane; and a beam position detector for detecting unidimensional position of a spot mede by the linescan laser beam projected thereon from the mirror via the polygon mirror. This linescan apparatus provides three-dimensional data of a surface of the product.

Abstract: An image processor for reproducing a continuous tone image such as a photograph in a black-and-white binary dot image (halftone image) has a linear correction section for converting a sampled digital image signal in a predetermined manner controlled by black and white densities of an original, thereby performing linear conversion between the continuous tone image and the halftone image. The image processor also has another correction section for performing profile emphasis to obtain a clear halftone image.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for processing an image signal such that areas of original image data are sequentially scanned with a scanning window having a size corresponding to M picture elements in units of a predetermined number of picture elements so as to perform halftone display in accordance with black-and-white binary distribution with respect to the signal levels of the picture elements within the scanning window every time the scanning window is moved. The picture elements within the scanning window are assigned an order of preference in accordance with their image signal levels. A sum of the image signal levels of the picture elements within the scanning window is calculated, and A and N of the equation S=C.times.N+A are calculated, where C is a predetermined image signal level (e.g., black level and maximum level), N is an integer, and A is the image signal level falling within the range 0.ltoreq.A<C.

Abstract: A method for processing a video signal comprises defining a successively shifted scan window with respect to the signal level of each picture element from which said video signal has been derived, totalizing the quantum numbers of the picture elements in the scan window corresponding to the original screen dot, and reconstructing black picture elements corresponding to the total value of the quantum numbers faithfully to the area of the original dot, and an apparatus for carrying out the method.

Abstract: In a variable density scanner a light beam of a fixed spot size is scanned on an original along each of a plurality of parallel line paths at a constant speed to generate a video signal and successively shifted to the next line path. The video signal is sampled to generate a video sample. Each of the line paths is divided into a plurality of line segments so that each segment derives a plurality of video samples and the line paths are formed into a plurality of groups of adjacent line paths so that the video samples are derived from a plurality of patterns of rows and columns. The total value of the video samples of each pattern is arithmetically divided by their number in response to the control signal to derive an average value.

Abstract: In a band compression method using an adaptive prediction system preferably applicable to facsimile transmission, a method of selecting picture elements to be referred (hereinafter defined as reference picture elements) for predicting an information value of a picture element wherein the reference picture elements are not selected uniformly and continuously from the neighborhood of the predicted picture element, but a group of picture elements (the first order picture elements) adjacent to the predicted picture element and further a group of picture elements of equal or higher order than the third order are selected as reference picture elements by excluding those shaded picture elements which lie on lines connecting the predicted picture element and the first order picture elements.