Automatic static image capturing device and method

• US 7,903,295 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2006
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Transpacific Systems LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Yu, Yu-Ru, Kuo, Shih-Zheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Cheukfan
• Application Number:
  US11/551,123
• Publication Number:
  US 20070211309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: 358/486, 358/488, 358/909.1, 358/906, 358/406, 358/497, 358/494, 358/474, 358/505, 358/504, 348/208.13, 348/208.4, 348/208.5, 348/208.15, 348/208.99, 348/208.14, 382/312, 382/275, 382/318, 382/319, 396/55, 396/54, 396/52, 399/211, 399/212
• 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

Abstract

A method and a device for automatic capturing of a static image. The automatic static image-capturing device is a scanner. The method includes the following steps. Any changes on a scanning platform are monitored. If a change in the static image on the scanning platform is detected, the change is gauged for a preset time interval to check for any further change during this time interval. If no further change is detected within this time interval, a preset operation is triggered.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting at least one change in a static image captured using a static image-capturing device;

monitoring for any further changes in said changed image during a preset time interval; and

executing an image-capturing operation in response to said changed image remaining unchanged, wherein said image capturing operation is executed after said preset time interval.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said static image-capturing device comprises a digital camera.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said static image-capturing device comprises a scanner.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said image-capturing operation comprises a scanning operation.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing a pre-scanning operation during said preset time interval, wherein said further changes are monitored from said pre-scanning operation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one change comprises a change in focusing position of said static image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said static image-capturing device comprises a digital imaging apparatus.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically repeating said detecting, said monitoring, and said executing to obtain a series of captured images.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting at least one change comprises detecting a change between said static image and a previously captured static image.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising capturing subsequent static images during said preset time interval, wherein monitoring for any further changes comprises monitoring for a change between said subsequent static images and said static image, and wherein said image-capturing operation is executed in response to said subsequent static images remaining unchanged from said static image.

11. A scanner comprising:

a scanning head configured to obtain a static image; and

a decision logic device configured to;

detect a change in said static image as compared to a previous static image;

monitor subsequent static images for changes from said static image; and

initiate execution of an image-capturing operation in response to said subsequent static images remaining unchanged from said static image for a period of time.

12. The scanner of claim 11, further comprising a buffer unit to store said previous static image, wherein said previous static image is previously obtained by said scanning head.

13. The scanner of claim 12, wherein said decision logic device is further configured to detect said changes in said subsequent images as compared to said static image.

14. The scanner of claim 11, wherein said scanning head further comprises an image-capturing device.

15. The scanner of claim 14, wherein said image-capturing device comprises a charge coupled device.

16. The scanner of claim 14, wherein said image-capturing device is configured to:

capture said static image; and

transform said static image into image data.

17. The scanner of claim 11, wherein said decision logic device is further configured to initiate execution of a pre-scanning operation during said period of time to identify said changes.

18. The scanner of claim 11, wherein said scanning head is mounted underneath a scanning platform.

19. A device comprising:

means for capturing a static image;

means for detecting at least one change in said static image;

means for monitoring said changed image for further changes during a preset time interval; and

means for executing an image-capturing operation in response to said changed image remaining unchanged, wherein said image-capturing operation is executed after said preset time interval.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein said means for capturing said static image comprises a scanner.

21. The device of claim 19, wherein said means for capturing said static image comprises a digital camera.

22. The device of claim 19, wherein said means for detecting is configured to detect a further change of said changed image, and wherein said means for capturing is configured to capture said further changed image.

23. The device of claim 19, wherein said at least one change comprises a difference in a position of said static image.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein said position comprises a focusing position.

25. An apparatus comprising:

an image-capturing device configured to obtain a plurality of images; and

a decision logic device configured to;

detect one or more changes between said plurality of images; and

initiate execution of an image-capturing operation after no further changes are detected for a preset period of time.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said plurality of images comprises a previously captured image and a later captured image, and wherein said image-capturing operation is executed when no changes are detected between said previously captured image and said later captured image.

27. A method comprising:

capturing a first image of an object;

capturing a sequence of images during a preset time interval, wherein said sequence of images comprises a last-changed image;

detecting a difference between said first image and said last-changed image;

monitoring said sequence of images for an additional difference from said last-changed image; and

executing an image-capturing operation of said object in response to there being no additional difference detected during said preset time interval.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said sequence of images further comprises a next image, and wherein said image-capturing operation is executed after said preset time interval when no difference is detected between said last-changed image and said next image.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein said sequence of images is captured by a pre-scanning operation.

30. A device comprising:

means for capturing a static image;

means for detecting at least one change in said static image as compared to a previously captured static image;

means for monitoring a plurality of subsequent images for changes from said static image during a preset time interval; and

means for executing an image-capturing operation in response to said plurality of subsequent images remaining unchanged from said static image, wherein said image-capturing operation is executed after said preset time interval.

31. The device of claim 30, wherein said means for detecting is further configured to detect said changes in said plurality of subsequent images as compared to said static image.

32. The device of claim 30, wherein said at least one change comprises a difference in a position between said static image and said previously captured static image.

33. An apparatus comprising:

an image-capturing device configured to obtain a static image; and

a decision logic device configured to;

detect one or more changes between said static image and a previously obtained image;

monitor a plurality of subsequent images for changes from said static image; and

initiate execution of an image-capturing operation in response to said plurality of subsequent images remaining unchanged from said static image for a preset period of time.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said plurality of subsequent images are obtained by said image-capturing device.