Abstract: An illumination unit 6 illuminates a scene object (i.e., mail) 2 moved in a predetermined direction by a transport means (transport conveyor) 1, the imaging distance up to the scene object 2 is detected before imaging, and auto-focusing is made according to distance data detected at the time of the imaging.

Abstract: The image input apparatus picks up the image of the object moved in the predetermined direction by the conveying means and illuminated by illuminating means having an light source, an internal window glass and an outermost window glass. The internal window glass serves as a heat ray absorbing glass, and an outermost window glass serves as a heat ray transmitting glass. The image input apparatus comprises the air cooling means for generating an air flow to forcedly cool the front and the rear surface of the internal window glass.

Abstract: Scanning is performed in a sub scan direction an image on a scan medium placed on a plane with a one-dimensional image sensor at a fixed position via a reflecting mirror rotatable around a fixed axis without causing a scan defect due to a change in the optical path length. An image light generating from an image on a scan medium is deflected by a reflecting mirror so at to form an image at a position of an image sensor via an image formation optical system. The image sensor reads a scan image as a one-dimensional main scan line and the reflecting mirror is rotated so at move a scan position in a sub scan direction. The rotation of this reflecting mirror is interlocked with displacement of the image formation optical system in an optical axis direction, thus enabling to prevent an image formation defect due to a change in the optical path length.

Abstract: An image scanning apparatus enables to scan an image in a sub scan direction on a scan medium placed on a plane with a one-dimensional image sensor at a fixed position via a reflecting mirror rotatable around a fixed axis without causing a scan defect due to a change in the optical path length. An image light generated from an image on a scan medium is deflected by a reflecting mirror so as to from an image at a position of an image sensor via an image formation optical system. This image sensor reads a scan image as a one-dimensional main scan line and the reflecting mirror is rotated so as to move a scan position in a sub scan direction. The rotation of this reflecting mirror is interlocked with displacement of the image formation optical system in an optical axis direction, thus enabling to prevent an image formation defect due to a change in the optical path length.

Abstract: The present invention enables to scan in a sub scan direction an image on a scan medium placed on a flat plane using a simple configuration of a one-dimensional image sensor at a fixed position in combination with a reflecting mirror. A drive source having a constant rpm is used to rotate the reflecting mirror at an angular velocity changing in a non-linear way. The rotation of the drive source is transmitted to a drive mechanism linked to a four-node link mechanism to rotate the reflecting mirror at an angular velocity changing in a non-linear way, so that the scan position on the scan medium is shifted in the sub scan direction at a constant linear velocity.

Abstract: The present invention enables to increase the speed of recognizing characters on an undefined-size postal matter such as a flat mail. The flat mail often has an address area different in color or pattern from the flat mail itself. The present invention provides an image input apparatus including pickup means of monochromatic-mode CCD 31 having a fine resolution capable of recognizing characters and pickup means of color-mode CCD 30 having a rough resolution only sufficient for detecting an address area. These pickup means are mounted in a unitary block so that images are taken in from approximately identical positions and a color image is used to detect an address area and a monochromatic image is used to recognize characters, thereby significantly increasing the speed of flat mail classification. An illumination unit 44 is forcibly cooled so as to enable to use a large-output lamp tube 75 capable of illuminating a wide range to assure the character recognition.

Abstract: In an image pick-up apparatus, the image on a visual field over an original copy is focused on an one-dimensional image pick-up device by a lens through a mirror. A prism for taking in the ambient light is disposed at the end portion of the one-dimensional image pick-up device. A sample-hold circuit samples and holds an ambient light signal portion of the image signal Vin and outputs a sample-hold signal Vref. A division circuit performs the operation of division Vin/Vref, using the sample-hold signal Vref. As a result, the image signal Vin will be normalized by the ambient light signal Vref for each scan line (line by line). An amplification circuit amplifies the output Vin/Vref of the division circuit so that the ambient light signal level may become VO and outputs it to an A/D conversion circuit. The image signal quantified by the A/D-conversion circuit is output to an external equipment by an external I/F circuit.

Abstract: A multi color image of a total of a sheet of paper is read by a color scanner and a designated color image consisting of a designated color component is extracted from the multi color image by a designated color filter, blocks having the designated color are extracted by summarizing in blocks a plurality of pixels constituting the designated color image by a designated color block extracting unit, meanwhile, the multi color image is converted into a monochromatic image by a monochromatic processing unit, at least one of monochromatic blocks are extracted by summarizing in blocks a plurality of pixels constituting the monochromatic image by a monochromatic block extracting unit and an area in which characters, for example the postal code and the mail address, that are objects of reading on the sheets of paper are described, are determined based on the blocks having the designated color and the monochromatic blocks by a reading area determining unit.

Abstract: An image input apparatus capable of speed-up of image inputting by conducting the image inputting of manuscripts having different sizes with one kind of one-dimensional image sensor, comprising manuscript size setting means for setting a size of a manuscript in a main scanning direction of a one-dimensional image sensor; conveying speed control means for controlling a speed of conveying the manuscript depending upon the size of manuscript being set; driving signal control means for controlling a driving of the one-dimensional image sensor depending upon the size of manuscript being set; shielding means for shielding a predetermined area of the one-dimensional image sensor; and shield area control means for controlling an area to be shielded by the shielding means depending upon the size of the manuscript being set.

Abstract: A label/window position detecting device includes a conveyor, light-emitting elements, a lens, linear image sensors, image processors, and coordinate calculation units. The conveyor conveys a target object having a label/window. The light-emitting elements illuminate the target object which is being conveyed by the conveyor. The lens forms an image of the target object illuminated with the light-emitting elements. The linear image sensors photoelectrically convert image light incident through the lens into image signals. The image processors binarize the image signals obtained from the linear image sensors into monochrome binary image signals, using a predetermined threshold. The coordinate calculation units calculate a label/window position of the target object on the basis of the binary image signals from the image processors, which correspond to a label/window edge portion. A method of detecting a label/window position is also disclosed.