Abstract: An actuator includes at least two piezoelectric devices arranged for crossing displacing directions thereof at a predetermined angle, a chip member provided at a coupling point of the piezoelectric devices, and a spring for contacting the chip member to a rotor driven by the actuator. The piezoelectric device is driven for moving the chip member trailing an elliptical trail. The rotation velocity or the driving torque of the rotor is controlled by varying at least one of a length of a major axis or a minor axis of the elliptical trail and an inclination angle of the major axis or the minor axis with respect to a normal at a contacting point of the chip member and the rotor.

Abstract: In an image reading apparatus for reading from above the image of a document, which has some thickness like a book or a file and is laid on a document table with its reading surface facing upward, a histogram regarding the brightness distribution of the reading surface is generated based on the image data of the reading surface, and the mode brightness and the maximum brightness of the reading surface are calculated, and it is determined whether show-through exists on the reading surface depending on the difference between the mode brightness and maximum brightness for preventing false detection of the base brightness caused by show-through effect.

Abstract: The purpose of obtaining a high resolution image with fewer number of image sensings in an image input device which allocates a planar object such as a document or the like into a plurality of areas for image sensing, and combines the obtained image data for output to a printer or display device or the like.

Abstract: In a truss type actuator having two piezoelectric devices provided for crossing at right angle and driven by two alternating driving signals having a predetermined phase difference between them for driving a chip member along a predetermined elliptic trail (including a circular trail). The piezoelectric devices are contacted by protrusions having a high rigidity and formed on contacting faces of the chip member and a base member for holding the piezoelectric devices, and fixed by adhesive having a low rigidity and filled around the protrusions. Thereby, one of the piezoelectric device hardly receives a reaction force from another piezoelectric device due to the displacement thereof.

Abstract: An apparatus for reading an image of the obverse side of a thin sheet includes a light source for emitting a light for illuminating the obverse side of the thin sheet. The light contains two fractions having different wave lengths from each other. When the light has been reflected on the thin sheet, first and second image pickup means receive one and the other of the aforesaid two fractions respectively. In order to be free of the adverse effect of characters, etc. printed on the reverse side of the thin sheet and seen therethrough on the obverse side, an signal processing system is operable such that image information on the obverse side of the thin sheet alone is extracted from image data outputted from the first and second image pickup means respectively.

Abstract: An image reader for reading book-like documents placed on a document platen in a face upward condition, said image reader comprises a shading reference panel provided beside the document platen which is white in color and of uniform density, an image reading device which reads the document platen on which the book-like document is placed and the shading reference panel, and outputs image data, a height detector which detects a height distribution of the book-like document, an illuminance detector which detects an illuminance irregularity in accordance with the image data corresponding to the shading reference panel, calculator which calculates shading correction data in accordance with the height distribution and the illuminance irregularity on the shading reference panel and, shading corrector which corrects the illuminance irregularity of the image data corresponding to the book-like document in accordance with the shading correction data.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus having a function for rectifying an image distortion caused by a curvature of a document surface, wherein the image distortion is rectified by duplicating image data that is a line of pixels in accordance with a varied amount of heights of a document surface, and a data conversion that is a image processing procedure in which the number of bits for pixels is reduced, is executed for the rectified image data. Data conversion elements whose number is the same as the maximum duplicated number "N", are arranged in a data conversion device, and the image data of a line to be duplicated arc input to the data conversion elements whose number is the same as duplicated number "n" of the line (n.ltoreq.N), and then, n-line image data which is processed in n data conversion elements, are stored in a memory. Thereby, reducing a memory capacity needed for the distortion rectification can be achieved without lowering picture quality.

Abstract: In the present invention, a specific region in which the edge of the document is specified as the exterior edge is discriminated for the presence of an image, and images separated from the exterior edge of an area positioned on the interior side of the interior edge of said specific region are discriminated as unnecessary images and erased. Also, in the present invention, images including parts adjacent to the edge of a document within a read image are examined and intersections of the edges and outlines of the images are discriminated, and unnecessary images of user fingers are discriminated from necessary images such as headers and the like and erased. Also, in the present invention, images directly adjacent to the exterior side and interior side of the document edges can be discriminated as unnecessary images by focusing on the hands of a user holding the book document and covering a part of the document at the exterior side, and recognizing similarities in pixel density.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an image reader well suited for reading for reading bound documents such books and magazines, the image reader comprises a document table to support a document to be read, an image sensor to convert a document image to electrical signals, and a signal processing unit to quantize and output said electrical signals to external devices.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus for reading open-faced documents comprises a document table for placing documents, an image sensing device for reading a document placed on said document table, a height detector for detecting height of said document at different positions in the main scan direction, and a displacement mechanism for displacing said image sensing device to accomplish focusing within a plane perpendicular to the subscan direction.

Abstract: In reading out an original of a state where a plurality of sheet faces are superimposed, image data is obtained by respectively scanning a first sheet face, a second sheet face which is the back side of the first sheet face, and a third sheet face which is a third face when the first sheet face is the first face. According to the read out image data, an opposite side transmittance rate representing degree of image transmittance on a first face which is the face of interest to be read out by an image of a second face which is the back side of the first face, and a trace transmittance rate representing degree of image transmittance on the first face by an image of a third face located facing the second face are obtained. Using respective calculated values of the opposite side transmittance rate and the trace transmittance rate, an unrequired image component in read out image data with an arbitrary sheet face as the first face is quantitated and subtracted from the read out image data.

Abstract: An image reader capable of outputting excellent quality read images, without illumination irregularities, similar to that of flat documents even when the document surface is curved as in the case of book-like documents. An image reader provided with a memory to store correction data to correct differences of illumination of each pixel of a document image, and which corrects the read information of each pixel in a document image using correction data corresponding to the measured height of a document surface among correction data stored in the memory. For one aspect, this image reader is constructed so as to correct a group of read information corresponding to a set of pixels arrayed in one direction by excluding specific frequencies among the illumination distribution from the set.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus which reads document surfaces of open book-like documents placed on a document platen in a face upward condition, the image reading apparatus comprises; a first detector which detects a height distribution of a document surface in a main scanning direction, a second detector which detects a height distribution of the document surface in a sub-scanning direction, and a direction discrimination device for discriminating whether a placement direction of the document is a main scanning direction or a sub-scanning direction based on the height distributions.

Abstract: The image reading apparatus is able to execute two image density controls. In one image density control, the image density of the document is detected and adjusted based on the detection, and in the other image density control, the document height is detected and the image density of the document is adjusted based on the detected height. Either of the two image density controls is selected based on the type or the shape of the document for execution of the density control.

Abstract: In a rolling bearing with aligning ring (A) in which rollers (3) serving as rolling elements are interposed between an inner ring (1) and an outer ring (2) having on its outer periphery a spherical portion (21) and in which an aligning ring (4) is fitted on a spherical portion (21) of the outer ring (2), the aligning ring (4) is composed of two members separable along a plane perpendicular to an axis of the aligning ring (4) at the center portion in the axial direction thereof.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus for book-like document includes a height detecting device which detects a height of the document, a luminance detecting device which detects a luminance of a background portion of the document image, a gloss calculating device which calculates gloss of a surface of the document in accordance with the height and the luminance, a luminance calculating device which calculates luminance corresponding to a background portion of the document image in accordance with the gloss and the height, a selecting device which selects either the detected luminance or the calculated luminance, and a density correcting means for correcting a density of the image data in accordance with said selected luminance.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus which reads out a document placed face-up by scanning optically from above the document, having a document change detection means, and when a document is not changed, a reproducted image density is controlled by using a previous result of the document ground brightness detection without detecting newly. Further, an image reading section is arranged on a document table which a bookform document is placed upward and an auto-document feeding unit for conveying a sheetform document is provided, where by a conveyed sheetform document is read out by a sensor at a fixed focal position.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus which reads book-like documents placed on a document platen in a face upward condition. A first detector detects the height of the document surface by the shape of a side surface of the document, and a second detector detects the height of the document by the shape of the document surface. A discrimination device detects abnormal height data detected by the detectors, and distortion of image data output from an imaging device is corrected using height data determined to have no abnormality.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus for reading documents disposed face upward on a document platen by optical scanning. The image reading apparatus comprises a color correction filter which has characteristics for shielding light of visible light range and is inserted into said imaging system on prescanning to detect the height of the document.

Abstract: An image reader reads images from above a document platen upon which is placed a document such as a book or the like while using fingers or hands to press both edges of said document so as to prevent the pages of the document from rising upwardly, wherein the image reader determines the position of blank area in accordance with a background luminance, a character frequency of picture element, and position in subscan direction, and erases image data of blank area and its outside image data to erase image data of fingers or hands.