SCANNER APPARATUS, RELATED METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

• US 20120281244A1
• Filed: 03/26/2012
• Published: 11/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics Incorporated (STMicroelectronics NV), STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics Incorporated (STMicroelectronics NV), STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: GUARNERA, Mirko, CASTORINA, Alfio, SPAMPINATO, Giuseppe, COLAVIN, Osvaldo M., BLOOMFIELD, John, HEKIMIAN, Armand, Varlehon, Beatrice
• Granted Patent: US 9,270,855 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0461 part of the apparatus being used in common for reading and reproducing simultaneous scanning of the original picture and the reproduced picture with a common scanning device H04N1/207
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/195 the array comprising a two-dimensional array or a combination of two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/207 Simultaneous scanning of the original picture and the reproduced picture with a common scanning device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0414 Scanning an image in a series of overlapping zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0416 Performing a pre-scan

Abstract

An embodiment of an integrated scanner apparatus, includes a support surface for objects to be scanned, a scanner unit to perform a scanning movement relative to the support surface to capture images of portions of objects to be scanned, and a printer unit carried by a carriage mobile with respect to said support surface, wherein said scanner unit is carried by said carriage carrying said printer unit to be imparted said scanning movement by said carriage.

Claims

1. An integrated scanner apparatus, including:

a support surface for objects to be scanned;

a scanner unit to perform a scanning movement relative to said support surface to capture images of portions of objects being scanned;

a printer unit carried by a carriage mobile with respect to said support surface,

wherein said scanner unit is carried by said carriage carrying said printer unit to be imparted said scanning movement by said carriage.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said printer unit carried by said carriage includes at least one ink reservoir.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said scanner unit is selectively tiltable to a preview scanning position wherein the scanner unit images a document to be scanned from a stationary position.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scanner unit includes at least one scanner module having a capture window adapted to cover a portion of the objects to be scanned whereby during said scanning movement imparted by said carriage said at least one scanner module produces a plurality of partial images of the objects to be scanned, and wherein a processing module is provided to fuse said plurality of partial images into a complete image.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scanner unit includes a plurality of scanner modules which, during said scanning movement imparted to said scanner unit by said carriage produces respective sets of partial images of the objects to be scanned, and wherein a processing module is provided to fuse said respective sets of partial images into a complete image.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein:

said carriage has associated a motion sensor providing a feedback signal representative of the position of said carriage,

said scanner unit is operable independently of said feedback signal, and

said processing module is configured to calculate scanner unit displacement parameters for use in fusing said partial images.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein:

said carriage has associated a motion sensor providing a feedback signal representative of the position of said carriage and of said scanner unit carried by said carriage;

said processing module is configured to receive said feedback signal and fuse said partial images as a function of said feedback signal.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a carriage configured for motion; and

an image-capture unit coupled to the carriage and configured to capture images of respective portions of an object while the image-capture unit is in respective positions.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the carriage is configured for coupling to a member along which the carriage is configured to move.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the image-capture unit includes a CMOS pixel array.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the image-capture unit is configured to tilt relative to the carriage.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the image-capture unit is configured:

to tilt relative to the carriage; and

to capture an image of the entire object while tilted.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a printer unit coupled to the carriage.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the object includes a document.

15. A system, comprising:

a transparent member configured to hold an object;

a carriage transporter disposed adjacent to the member;

a carriage coupled to the carriage transporter; and

an image-capture unit coupled to the carriage and configured to capture images of respective portions of the object while the carriage is in respective positions.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the transparent member includes a plate of glass.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the carriage transporter includes:

a travel member;

a carriage support coupled to the travel member and to which the carriage is coupled; and

a driver configured to move the carriage support along the travel member.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the carriage transporter includes:

a travel member;

a carriage support coupled to the travel member and to which the carriage is coupled; and

a driver configured to step the carriage support along the travel member.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising a carriage-position sensor.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a carriage-position sensor; and

wherein the image-capture unit is configured to capture at least one of the respective images in response to the carriage-position sensor.

21. The system of claim 15 wherein

the carriage transporter is configured to move the carriage in a direction during a period and in another direction during another period;

and

the image-capture unit is configured to capture a subset of the respective images during the period and to capture another subset of the respective images during the other period.

22. The system of claim 15, further comprising a processor configured to generate from the respective images an image of the entire object.

23. The system of claim 15, further comprising a print unit coupled to the carriage and configured to impart a print material onto a print medium.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein:

the print material includes ink; and

the print medium includes paper.

25. The system of claim 15 wherein the image-capture unit is configured to capture a preview image of the entire object while the carriage transporter maintains the carriage in a stationary preview position.

31. The method of claim 24 wherein:

moving the image-capture unit includes moving the image-capture unit in a direction during a period and in another direction during another period;

capturing images of the respective parts of the object includes

capturing a group of the images during the period and

capturing another group of the images during the other period; and

generating the image of the object includes generating the image from the groups of the images of the respective parts of the object.

26. A method, comprising:

moving an image-capture unit;

capturing images of respective parts of an object with the image-capture unit; and

generating an image of the object from the images of the parts of the object.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein capturing the images includes capturing the images while the image-capture unit is moving.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein:

moving the image-capture unit includes stepping the image-capture unit from location to location; and

capturing the images includes capturing each of the images while the image-capture unit is at a respective location.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising moving a print unit while moving the image-capture unit.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

maintaining the image-capture unit stationary; and

capturing an image of the whole object while the image-capture unit is stationary.

32. A computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor:

to cause the moving of an image-capture unit;

to cause the image-capture unit to capture images of respective parts of an object; and

to generate an image of the object from the images of the respective parts of the object.