Document imager, document stillness detection method, and computer program product

• US 7,839,543 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2007
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Watanuki, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, II; Jerome
• Application Number:
  US11/701,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20070188830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• Field of Search: 358/505, 358/400, 358/403, 358/474, 358/482, 358/483, 358/486, 358/493, 358/494, 358/496, 358/497, 358/498, 271/3.14, 271/3.01, 271/3.08, 271/3.09, 382/312
• US Class Current: 358/474
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00681 Detecting the presence, position or size of a sheet or correcting its position before scanning H04N1/047 takes precedence; mode signalling H04N1/333; skew detection or correction in image signals H04N1/3878
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00726 Other properties of the sheet, e.g. curvature or reflectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00737 using the scanning elements as detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00748 Detecting edges, e.g. of a stationary sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00753 of a sheet relative to a particular backgroud
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00761 using reference marks, e.g. on sheet, sheet holder or guide
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00782 Initiating operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/195 the array comprising a two-dimensional array or a combination of two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/19594 using a television camera or a still video camera
• 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

A computer program product executed by a computer connected with a document imager that uses an imaging section to image an original document mounted on a document bed plate on which the original document is mounted and which has a specific pattern formed on a surface thereof and outputs an image of the original document allows a CPU to execute a judging step of judging stillness of the original document mounted on the document bed plate from at least one of a discontinuity of the pattern at an outer peripheral portion in a document bed plate image obtained by the imaging section and a change in the document bed plate image.

Claims

1. A document imager comprising:

a document bed plate on which an original document is mounted and which has a specific pattern formed on a surface thereof;

an imaging section that images the original document mounted on the document bed plate;

a first stillness judging section which judges stillness of the original document mounted on the document bed plate from at least one of (i) a discontinuity of the pattern of an outer peripheral portion in an image of the document bed plate obtained by the imaging section and (ii) a change in the outer peripheral portion in the image of the document bed plate;

a second stillness judging section which judges the stillness of the original document mounted on the document bed plate by regarding movement of apex coordinates of the original document as a change in the image of the document bed plate; and

an output section which outputs the image of the original document when both the first and second stillness judging sections judge that the original document is still.

2. The document imager according to claim 1, wherein the second stillness judging section judges the stillness after the first stillness judging section judges the stillness, and the output section outputs the image of the document bed plate after the second stillness judging section judges the stillness.

3. The document imager according to claim 1, wherein the first stillness judging section judges the stillness after the second stillness judging section judges the stillness, and the output section outputs the image of the document bed plate after the first stillness judging section judges the stillness.

4. The document imager according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage section which stores an image obtained by imaging the document bed plate having no original document mounted thereon;

wherein the first stillness judging section judges the stillness of the original document based on a comparison with an outer peripheral portion in the image of the document bed plate having no original document mounted thereon stored in the storage section.

5. The document imager according to claim 1, wherein the first stillness judging section judges the stillness of the original document based on a difference amount of the outer peripheral portion in images of the document bed plate over time.

6. The document imager according to claim 1, wherein the first stillness judging section judges the stillness of the original document based on a discontinuity of a contour of the pattern.

7. The document imager according to claim 1, wherein the second stillness judging section judges the stillness of the original document based on a detected position of a contour of the original document on the pattern.

8. The document imager according to claim 1, wherein the second stillness judging section judges the stillness of the original document by recovering a discontinuous position on a contour of the pattern to acquire a contour of the original document, and comparing an absolute value of a sum total of movement amounts of respective apex coordinates on the contour of the original document with a preset value.

9. The document imager according to claim 1, further comprising a storage section that stores a result of detecting a contour of a captured image obtained by imaging the document bed plate with no original document mounted thereon;

wherein the second stillness judging section judges the stillness of the original document by comparing the result of detecting the contour stored in the storage section with a result of detecting a contour of the image of the document bed plate obtained from the imaging section.

10. A document stillness detection method for a document imager that images an original document mounted on a document bed plate having a specific pattern formed on a surface thereof by an imaging section and outputs an image of the original document, the method comprising:

a first judging comprising judging stillness of the original document mounted on the document bed plate from at least one of (i) a discontinuity of the pattern of an outer peripheral portion in an image of the document bed plate obtained by the imaging section, and (ii) a change in the outer peripheral portion in the image of the document bed plate;

a second judging comprising judging the stillness of the original document mounted on the document bed plate by regarding movement of apex coordinates of the original document as a change in the image of the document bed plate; and

outputting the image of the original document the original document is judged to be still by both the first judging and the second judging.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium having a program stored thereon that is executable by a computer included in or connected with a document imager which uses an imaging section to image an original document mounted on a document bed plate having the original document mounted thereon and a specific pattern formed on a surface thereof and outputs an image of the original document, wherein the program is executable by the computer to perform functions comprising:

a first judging comprising judging stillness of the original document mounted on the document bed plate from at least one of (i) a discontinuity of the pattern of an outer peripheral portion in an image of the document bed plate obtained by the imaging section, and (ii) a change in the other peripheral portion in the image of the document bed plate;

a second judging comprising judging the stillness of the original document mounted on the document bed plate by regarding movement of apex coordinates of the original document as a change in the image of the document bed plate; and

outputting the image of the original document the original document is judged to be still by both the first judging and the second judging.