Hand-held scanner

• US 5,574,804 A
• Filed: 12/02/1993
• Issued: 11/12/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Allan Chasanoff, Francis Olschafskie
• Original Assignee: Allan Chasanoff, Francis Olschafskie
• Inventors: Chasanoff, Allan, Olschafskie, Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Couso, Jose L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew C.
• Application Number:
  US08/161,762
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 382/59, 382/313, 382/314, 382/318, 358/473, 235/472, 345/165, 345/166
• US Class Current: 382/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/142 using hand-held instruments; Constructional details of the instruments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/107 with manual scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/1075 Arrangements for facilitating holding of the scanner, e.g. shapes, grips
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/1077 Arrangements for facilitating movement over the scanned medium, e.g. disposition of rollers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0048 Type of connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0049 By wire, cable or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0471 using dedicated detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/04724 on a separate encoder wheel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/04734 Detecting at frequent intervals, e.g. once per line for sub-scan control

Abstract

A scanner for reading characters from a string of characters recorded on a substrate. The scanner includes a character scanner that is used with a stroking motion parallel to the string of characters that permits the user to view the line being scanned as the scanner is moved across the page. A line-by-line scanner with a wide area of view may be mounted along the side of the scanner to be used in scanning a page or column on a line-by-line basis. The character scanner may include a lens of variable magnification so as to accommodate variable size print. A microphone mounted on the scanner permits the input of voice sound information. The scanner may be in communication with a computer through a cable or a wireless transmitter/receiver. The value of each pixel detected by the scanner is determined by comparing the light reflection value with a threshold that is adjusted in accordance with the values of pixels detected and averaged over previous frames. The hand-held scanner may be housed in any elongate housing for pen-like use or in a palm-held housing such as a typical mouse. An image splitter may be included within the optics to generate two separate images for separate character recognition processing.

Claims

1. A hand-held scanner for reading characters arranged in a plurality of lines recorded on a substrate, the scanner comprising:

a housing having an elongate shape with a scanning end and a rear end;

first optical means for viewing a first area of view on the substrate adjacent the scanning end of said housing when said housing is oriented with respect to the substrate such that the scanning end of said housing is adjacent the substrate and the rear end of said housing is lifted off away from the substrate;

second optical means for viewing a second area of view on the substrate adjacent a side of said housing when said housing is oriented with respect to the substrate such that the side of said housing is adjacent the substrate, wherein a longest dimension of the second area of view is at least several times longer than a longest dimension of the first area of view; and

optical detector means, located within said housing, for detecting relative intensity of light reflected from each of a plurality of points in one of the first and second areas of view;

wherein the scanning end of said housing is moved along a line of characters to read the characters through the first area of view and wherein the side of said housing is moved over the substrate line by line to read the characters through the second area of view.

2. The scanner of claim 1 further comprising first movement means, mounted proximate the scanning end of said housing, for detecting movement of the scanner across the substrate when the scanning end of said housing is moved along a line of characters to read the characters through the first area of view.

3. The scanner of claim 2 further comprising second movement means, mounted on the side of said housing, for detecting movement of the scanner across the substrate when the side of said housing is moved over the substrate line by line to read the characters through the second area of view.

4. The scanner of claim 1 further comprising a door mounted over the second optical means to selectively permit light to pass into said second optical means.

5. The scanner of claim 1 wherein said optical detector means comprises a CCD array for detecting light from a plurality of points in the first area of view and a photodiode array for detecting light from a plurality of points in the second area of view.

6. The scanner of claim 1 further comprising wireless communication means for communicating with a host computing means.

7. The scanner of claim 1 further comprising a microphone mounted on said housing and means for selectively activating said microphone.

8. The scanner of claim 1 further comprising means for adjusting the magnification of said first optical means and thereby change the size of the first area of view.

9. The scanner of claim 1 further comprising a comparator coupled to said optical detector means for receiving signals corresponding to the relative intensity of light from said optical detector means to determine whether each such signal is above or below an intensity threshold and means for setting the intensity threshold responsive to the relative intensities of points in an area of view being scanned.

10. The scanner of claim 1 further comprising an image splitter for producing two images of the first area of view, the two images being rotated with respect to each other and for providing the two images to said optical detector means.

11. A hand-held scanner for reading characters from a string of characters on a substrate comprising:

a housing adapted to be held and moved by a hand;

optical means, located within said housing, for viewing an image of an area on the substrate;

an image splitter for receiving the image of the area from said optical means and producing two images of the area wherein one of the two images of the area is rotated with respect to the other of the two images of the area;

optical detector means, located within said housing for detecting the relative intensity of light at a plurality of points in each of the two images and generating an electrical signal representative of the relative intensity of light in the plurality of points in each of the two images.

12. The hand-held scanner of claim 11 wherein said image splitter produces two images that are rotated 90 degrees with respect to each other.

13. The hand-held scanner of claim 11 wherein said optical detector means comprises a linear array of photodetector elements half of which receive the points from one of the two images and the other half of which receive the points from a second of the two images.

14. The hand-held scanner of claim 11 further comprising wireless communication means for communicating with a host computing means.

15. The hand-held scanner of claim 11 further comprising a microphone mounted on said housing and means for selectively activating said microphone.

16. The hand-held scanner of claim 11 further comprising means for adjusting the magnification of said optical means.

17. The hand-held scanner of claim 11 further comprising a comparator coupled to said optical detector means for receiving signals corresponding to the relative intensity of light from said optical detector means to determine whether each such signal is above or below an intensity threshold and means for setting the intensity threshold responsive to the relative intensities of points in at least one of the two images.

18. The hand-held scanner of claim 11 further comprising movement sensor means, mounted to said housing, for detecting movement of the scanner across the substrate.

35. The hand-held scanner of claim 18 wherein said movement sensor means comprises means for sensing movement along a first direction and means for sensing movement along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

19. A mouse/scanner for reading characters from a string of characters recorded on a substrate comprising:

a housing;

a ball rotatably mounted in said housing for rotational movement when said housing is moved over the surface of the substrate;

a first movement sensor, responsive to rotation of said ball about a first axis, for generating a first movement signal;

a second movement sensor, responsive to rotation of said ball about a second axis, for generating a second movement signal;

first optical means, located within said housing, for viewing an area of view outside of the projection of the housing'"'"'s bottom face on the substrate, so that the user may view a field of view that includes the area of view;

optical detector means, located within said housing, for detecting the relative intensity of light reflected from each of a plurality of points in the area of view; and

communication means, located in said housing, for sending any of the signals generated from said first movement sensor means, said second movement sensor means and said optical detector means to a host computing means.

20. The mouse/scanner of claim 19 further comprising a microphone mounted on said housing and wherein said communication means further includes means for sending signals generated from said microphone to the host computing means.

21. The mouse/scanner of claim 19 further comprising second optical means mounted on a side of said housing adjacent the substrate for viewing a line of characters beneath said mouse/scanner and a light source mounted on said mouse/scanner so as to illuminate the line of characters.

22. The scanner of claim 19 further comprising means for adjusting the magnification of said first optical means and thereby changing the size of the area of view.

23. The scanner of claim 19 further comprising a comparator, coupled between said optical detector means and said communication means, to receive signals corresponding to the relative intensity of light from said optical detector means to determine whether each such signal is above or below an intensity threshold and means for setting the intensity threshold responsive to the relative intensities of points in the area of view being scanned.

24. A hand-held scanner for reading characters from a string of characters recorded on a substrate, comprising:

a housing, being adapted such that the scanner may be conveniently moved over the substrate surface, along the string of characters, the housing having a bottom face adjacent the substrate, the bottom face forming a projection on the substrate;

first optical means, located within the housing, for viewing a first area of view;

optical detector means, located within the housing, for detecting the relative intensity of light reflected from each of a plurality of points in the first area of view;

wherein the housing is further adapted such that the first area of view is outside of the projection of the housing'"'"'s bottom face on the substrate, so that the user may view a field of view which includes the first area of view, and such that the field of view is entirely unobstructed by the housing in at least one direction along the string of characters from the first area of view, so as to facilitate tracking.

25. The hand-held scanner of claim 24 further comprising second optical means for viewing a second area of view on the substrate adjacent a side of said housing when said housing is oriented with respect to the substrate such that the side of said housing is adjacent the substrate, wherein a longest dimension of the second area of view is at least several times longer than a longest dimension of the first area of view.

26. The hand-held scanner of claim 25 wherein said housing is adapted to be held by a user in the manner of a pen.

27. The hand-held scanner of claim 24 further comprising first movement sensor means, mounted to said housing, for detecting movement of the scanner across the surface of the substrate.

28. The hand-held scanner of claim 27 further comprising second movement sensor means for detecting movement orthogonal to the movement detected by said first movement sensor means.

29. The hand-held scanner of claim 24 further comprising a microphone mounted on said housing and means for selectively activating said microphone.

30. The hand-held scanner of claim 24 further comprising means for adjusting the magnification of said first optical means.

31. The hand-held scanner of claim 24 further comprising a comparator coupled to said optical detector means for receiving signals corresponding to the relative intensity of light from said optical detector means to determine whether each such signal is above or below an intensity threshold and means for setting the intensity threshold responsive to the relative intensities of points in the first area of view.

32. The hand-held scanner of claim 24 further comprising an image splitter for receiving an image of the first area of view from said optical means and for producing two images of the first area of view, the two images being rotated with respect to each other and for providing the two images to said optical detector means.

33. The hand-held scanner of claim 24 further comprising wireless communication means for communicating with a host computing means.

34. A hand-held scanner for reading characters arranged in a plurality of lines recorded on a substrate, the scanner comprising:

a housing having an elongate shape with a scanning end and a rear end;

first optical means for viewing a first area of view on the substrate adjacent the scanning end of said housing when said housing is oriented with respect to the substrate such that the scanning end of said housing is adjacent the substrate and the rear end of said housing is lifted off away from the substrate;

second optical means for viewing a second area of view on the substrate adjacent a side of said housing when said housing is oriented with respect to the substrate such that the side of said housing is adjacent the substrate, wherein a longest dimension of the second area of view is at least several times longer than a longest dimension of the first area of view; and

optical detector means, located within said housing, for detecting relative intensity of light reflected from each of a plurality of points in one of the first and second areas of view.

36. A mouse-scanner for reading characters from a string of characters recorded on a substrate comprising:

a housing;

a ball rotatably mounted in said housing for rotational movement when said housing is moved over the surface of the substrate;

a first movement sensor, responsive to rotation of said ball about a first axis, for generating a first movement signal;

a second movement sensor, responsive to rotation of said ball about a second axis, for generating a second movement signal;

first optical means, located within said housing, for viewing an area of view;

optical detector means, located within said housing, for detecting the relative intensity of light reflected from each of a plurality of points in the area of view;

a microphone mounted on said housing; and

wireless communication means for communicating with a host computing means so as to be able to provide the host computing means with any of signals generated through said optical detector means and signals generated through said microphone.

37. The mouse-scanner of claim 36 wherein said housing is adapted to be held by the user in the manner of a pen.