OVERHEAD IMAGE READING APPARATUS

• US 20130335787A1
• Filed: 04/16/2013
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PFU Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: PFU Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: KAWATA, Kengo
• Granted Patent: US 9,219,838 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/474
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00726 Other properties of the sheet, e.g. curvature or reflectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00734 Optical detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00806 According to type of the original, e.g. colour paper or transparency, or reading a plurality of different types of original
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/02815 Means for illuminating the original, not specific to a particular type of pick-up head
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/10 using flat picture-bearing surfaces H04N1/113, H04N1/195 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40056 Circuits for driving or energising particular reading heads or original illumination means H04N1/401, H04N1/407 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/02497 Additional elements, e.g. sheet guide plates, light shields H04N2201/02489 - H04N2201/02495 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0436 Scanning a picture-bearing surface lying face up on a support H04N2201/0434 takes precedence; using cylindrical picture bearing surfaces H04N1/06; with manual scanning H04N1/107

Abstract

An overhead scanner 1 includes an imaging unit 22 that images a medium S placed on a mount surface 2 to be read from above and a light source 21 that is arranged to be able to irradiate the medium S with light during imaging by the imaging unit 22. A control device 40 of the overhead scanner 1 performs anti-glare control when detecting that the medium S is glossy. This prevents glare from occurring to the user during operation of the overhead scanner 1.

Claims

1. An overhead image reading apparatus comprising:

an imaging unit that images from above a medium to be read placed on a placing surface; and

a light source arranged in order to irradiate the medium with light during imaging by the imaging unit,

wherein anti-glare control is performed when the medium is detected to be glossy.

2. The overhead image reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an information obtaining unit that obtains information from the medium; and

a gloss determining unit that determines whether or not the medium is glossy on a basis of the information on the medium obtained by the information obtaining unit,

wherein when the medium is determined to be glossy by the gloss determining unit, the medium is detected to be glossy and the anti-glare control is performed.

3. The overhead image reading apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information obtaining unit includes:

at least one light emitting unit that irradiates the medium placed on the placing surface with light; and

a light receiving unit that detects the light reflected by the medium, the light being emitted by the light emitting unit, and

wherein the gloss determining unit determines whether or not the medium is glossy on a basis of the information on the medium obtained by the light receiving unit.

4. The overhead image reading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the light receiving unit is an image sensor, the image sensor includes a white reference in an imaging area thereof, and whether or not the medium is glossy is determined on a basis of a tone of the white reference in an image taken by the image sensor.

5. The overhead image reading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the light receiving unit is an image sensor, and whether or not the medium is glossy is determined on a basis of a difference image between images taken by the image sensor when the light emitting unit outputs two different light intensities.

6. The overhead image reading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the light emitting unit is an infrared LED, and further comprising a wavelength cutoff filter, provided within a light path between the infrared LED and the light receiving unit, capable of blocking part or all of light in a visible wavelength range.

7. The overhead image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the anti-glare control is alerting a user.

8. The overhead image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the anti-glare control is suspending operation for imaging by the imaging unit.

9. The overhead image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the anti-glare control is reducing light intensity of the light source.

10. The overhead image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the anti-glare control is reducing an irradiation range of the light source.

11. The overhead image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the anti-glare control is reducing irradiation time of the light source.