Image reading apparatus for reading book-like documents

• US 5,659,404 A
• Filed: 04/26/1996
• Issued: 08/19/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsuda, Shinya
• Primary Examiner(s): Rogers, Scott A.
• Application Number:
  US08/638,078
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 358/497, 358/494, 358/488, 358/474, 358/464, 358/448, 358/461, 355/25, 355/75
• US Class Current: 358/474
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/387 Composing, repositioning or otherwise geometrically modifying originals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/401 Compensating positionally unequal response of the pick-up or reproducing head H04N1/403 takes precedence

Abstract

An image reading apparatus which reads document surface of open book-like document placed on a document platen in a face upward condition and detects height of the document. An image reader reads the document to output image data. A first detector detects a background luminance of the document in accordance with the image data. A second detector detects a height of document. A first determining device determines a background luminance distribution based on the background luminance of the document detected by the first detector. A second determining device determines a height distribution based on the height of document detected by the second detector. A first anomalies detector detects anomalies of the background luminance distribution. A second anomalies detector detects anomalies of the height distribution. A convertor converts the height distribution and the background luminance distribution each other. An interpolator interpolates each anomalies of the distributions using the other distribution converted by convertor. An warning device warns an impossibility of reading, when the interpolating is impossible.

Claims

1. An image reading apparatus which reads document surface of open book-like document placed on a document platen in a face upward condition, said image reading apparatus comprising:

an image reader which reads the document to output image data;

first detecting means for detecting a background luminance of the document in accordance with the image data;

second detecting means for detecting a height of document;

first determining means for determining a first background luminance distribution based on the background luminance of the document detected by the first detecting means;

second determining means for determining a height distribution based on the height of document detected by the second detecting means;

anomalies detecting means for detecting anomalies of the first background luminance distribution;

converting means for converting the height distribution into a second background luminance distribution;

interpolating means for interpolating the anomalies of the first background luminance distribution using the second background luminance distribution;

density control means for controlling a density of the image data in accordance with the background luminance distribution interpolated by the interpolating means.

2. The image reading apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second detecting means comprises a mirror reflecting side of view of the document to said image reader.

3. The image reading apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said anomalies detecting means further detects positions of anomalies in the first background luminance distribution, and said interpolating means interpolates the anomalies of the first background luminance distribution, using the second background luminance distribution corresponding to positions of anomalies of the first background luminance distribution.

4. The image reading apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising warning means for warning an impossibility of reading when the interpolating is impossible.

5. The image reading apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said anomalies detecting means further detects anomalies of the height distribution and its positions, and said warning means warns an impossibility of reading when the anomalies of the height distribution and the anomalies of the first background luminance distribution are generate in the same position of the image data.

6. An image reading apparatus which reads document surface of open book-like document placed on a document platen in a face upward condition, said image reading apparatus comprising:

an image reader which reads the document to output image data;

first detecting means for detecting a background luminance of the document in accordance with the image data;

second detection means for detecting a height of document;

first determining means for determining a background luminance distribution based on the background luminance of the document detected by the first detecting means;

second determining means for determining a first height distribution based on the height of the document detected by the second detecting means;

anomalies detecting means for detecting an anomalies of the first height distribution;

converting means for converting the background luminance distribution into a second height distribution;

interpolating means for interpolating the anomalies of the first height distribution using the second height distribution;

image distortion correcting means for correcting distortion of the image data caused by the height of the document in accordance with the height distribution interpolated by the interpolating means.

7. The image reading apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said second detecting means comprises a mirror reflecting side of view of the document to said image reader.

8. The image reading apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said anomalies detecting means further detects positions of anomalies in the first height distribution, and said interpolating means interpolates the anomalies of the first height distribution, using the second height distribution corresponding to positions of anomalies of the first height distribution.

9. The image reading apparatus as claimed in claim 6, further comprising warning means for warning an impossibility of reading, when the interpolating is impossible.

10. The image reading apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said anomalies detecting means further detects anomalies of the background luminance distribution and its positions, and said warning means warns an impossibility of reading when the anomalies of the background luminance distribution and the anomalies of the first height distribution are generate in the same position of the image data.

11. An image reading apparatus which reads document surface of open book-like document placed on a document platen in a face upward condition and detects height of the document, said image reading apparatus comprising:

an image reader which reads the document to output image data;

first detecting means for detecting a background luminance of the document in accordance with the image data;

second detecting means for detecting a height of document;

first determining means for determining a background luminance distribution based on the background luminance of the document detected by the first detecting means;

second determining means for determining a height distribution based on the height of document detected by the second detecting means;

first anomalies detecting means for detecting anomalies of the background luminance distribution;

second anomalies detecting means for detecting anomalies of the height distribution;

converting means for converting the height, distribution and the background luminance distribution each other;

interpolating means for interpolating each anomalies of the distributions using the other distribution converted by converting means;

warning means for warning an impossibility of reading when the interpolating is impossible.

12. The image reading apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said warning means warns an impossibility of reading when the anomalies of the height distribution and the anomalies of the background luminance distribution are generate in the same position of the image data.

13. The image reading apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said second detecting means comprises a mirror reflecting side of view of the document to said image reader.

14. The image reading apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said anomalies detecting means detects positions of anomalies, and said interpolating means interpolates the anomalies of the background luminance distribution using the height distribution converted into the background luminance distribution corresponding to positions of anomalies of background luminance distribution.

15. The image reading apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said anomalies detecting means detects positions of anomalies of the height distribution, and said interpolating means interpolates the anomalies of the height distribution using the background luminance distribution converted into the height distribution corresponding to positions of anomalies of height distribution.

16. A method of processing an image of an open book-like document placed on a document platen in a face upward condition, the method comprising the step of:

reading the document to output image data;

detecting a background luminance of the document in accordance with the image data;

detecting a height of document;

determining a first background luminance distribution based on the background luminance of the document detected by background luminance detecting step;

determining a height distribution based on the height of document detected by height detecting step;

detecting anomalies of the first background luminance distribution;

converting the height distribution into a second background luminance distribution;

interpolating the anomalies of the first background luminance distribution using the second the background luminance distribution;

controlling a density of the image data in accordance with the background luminance distribution interpolated by the interpolating step.

17. A method of processing an image of an open book like document placed on a document platen in a face upward condition, the method comprising the step of:

reading the document to output image data;

detecting a background luminance of the document in accordance with the image data;

detecting a height of document;

determining a background luminance distribution based on the background luminance of the document detected by background luminance detecting step;

determining a first height distribution based on the height of the document detected by height detecting step;

detecting an anomalies of the first height distribution;

converting the background luminance distribution into a second height distribution;

interpolating the anomalies of the first height distribution using the second height distribution;

correcting distortion of the image data caused by the height of the document in accordance with the height distribution interpolated by the interpolating step.

18. A method of processing an image of an open book like document placed on a document platen in a face upward condition, the method comprising the step of:

reading the document to output image data;

detecting a background luminance of the document in accordance with the image data;

detecting a height of document;

determining a background luminance distribution based on the background luminance of the document detected by background luminance detecting step;

determining a height distribution based on the height of document detected by height detecting step;

detecting anomalies of the background luminance distribution;

detecting anomalies of the height distribution;

converting the height distribution and the background luminance distribution each other;

interpolating each anomalies of the distributions using the other distribution converted by converting step;

warning an impossibility of reading when the anomalies of the height distribution and the anomalies of the background luminance distribution are generate in the same position of the image data.