Image Illumination And Capture In A Scanning Device
First Claim
1. A scanning device comprising:
- a target bed;
an imaging unit operative to capture an image of a document placed on the target bed;
a light source operative to illuminate the document placed on the target bed;
a tapered first slab waveguide configured to receive the image of the document into a first tapered face of the first slab, the image propagating through the waveguide from the first tapered face to a first thick end of the first slab after internal reflection within the first slab, the imaging unit disposed to receive the image as it emerges from the first thick end of the first slab; and
a tapered second slab waveguide configured to receive light from the light source into a second thick end of the second slab, the light propagating through the waveguide from the second thick end of the second slab and emerging from a second tapered face of the second slab after internal reflection within the second slab, light from the light source transversely passing through the first slab to illuminate the document placed on the target bed.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Scanning devices and method of use that permit the capture of high resolution images of an original that is illuminated by a light source that is located outside of the optical field of view of an image detector. In one aspect, the image detector may be a monochrome sensor that sequentially captures different color plane images of an original that is illuminated by different colors. The different color plane images may be processed to generate a full color copy of the original. Light and images may be directed through tapered optical waveguides to minimize the volume of the scanning device. The image detector may include a first associated waveguide while the light source may include a second associated waveguide.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A scanning device comprising:
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a target bed; an imaging unit operative to capture an image of a document placed on the target bed; a light source operative to illuminate the document placed on the target bed; a tapered first slab waveguide configured to receive the image of the document into a first tapered face of the first slab, the image propagating through the waveguide from the first tapered face to a first thick end of the first slab after internal reflection within the first slab, the imaging unit disposed to receive the image as it emerges from the first thick end of the first slab; and a tapered second slab waveguide configured to receive light from the light source into a second thick end of the second slab, the light propagating through the waveguide from the second thick end of the second slab and emerging from a second tapered face of the second slab after internal reflection within the second slab, light from the light source transversely passing through the first slab to illuminate the document placed on the target bed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A scanning device comprising:
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a target bed; a monochrome imaging unit operative to capture an image of a document placed on the target bed; a light source operative to illuminate the document placed on the target bed, the light source include a plurality of individually selectable colors; a controller configured to control the light source to illuminate the document placed on the target bed sequentially in each of the plurality of individually selectable colors, the controller further configured to control the imaging unit to capture a color plane image for each of the individually selectable colors, and process the color plane images to produce a full color duplicate of the document. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of scanning an image of a document with a scanning device, the method comprising the steps of:
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positioning the document on a target bed; illuminating the document using a light source and a tapered first waveguide, the light from the light source propagating through the tapered first waveguide; capturing an image of the document by propagating the image of the document through a tapered second waveguide and towards an imaging unit; and causing the light from the light source to exit from a tapered surface of the first waveguide and transversely pass through the second waveguide, which is disposed between the first waveguide and the target bed. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of scanning a document with a scanning device, the method comprising the steps of:
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placing the document on a target bed; illuminating the document using a first light source that includes a first color; capturing a first color plane image of the document that is illuminated by the first color; illuminating the document using a second light source that includes a second color; capturing a second color plane image of the document that is illuminated by the second color; and processing the first and second color plane images and generating a full color duplicate of the document. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification