Scanning circuit structure

• US 8,300,285 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Transpacific Systems LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Lee, Kuan-Yu, Lee, Chen-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Cheukfan
• Application Number:
  US11/694,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20080030799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,041 Days
• Field of Search: 358/482, 358/483, 358/445, 358/442, 358/468, 358/434, 358/505, 358512-514, 358/409, 358/412, 250/208.1, 250234-236, 250/216, 250/208.2, 382/312, 382/318, 382/319, 399/211, 399/212, 716/108
• US Class Current: 358/482
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32561 using a programmed control device, e.g. a microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32571 Details of system components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32587 Controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0081 Image reader H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence

Abstract

A scanning circuit having rearranged circuit modules at each end of a flat cable. After the rearrangement, the flat cable carries scanning control signals produced by a conventional IC communication interface instead of timing signals and carries digital image data instead of easily distorted and interfered analog image signals.

Claims

1. An optical scanning apparatus, comprising:

communication means for receiving scan control signals from a main circuit module; and

means for generating timing control signals for extracting an analog image signal in response to the received scan control signals, wherein the timing control signals are generated at an optical sensor circuit coupled to the main circuit module via the communication means, and wherein the received scan control signals do not comprise any timing control signals.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

means for receiving a scanning instruction from a communication interface; and

means for producing the scan control signals in response to the received Scanning instructions.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the scan control signals are produced at the main circuit module.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising means for converting the analog image signal into digital image data, wherein the scan control signals are transmitted to the sensor circuit module, and wherein the digital image is transmitted to the main circuit module.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

means for extracting the analog image signal; and

means for converting the analog image signal into a digital, wherein the digital image data is transmitted to the main circuit module via the communication means.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

means for generating the analog image signal at the optical sensor circuit module;

means for pre-processing the analog image signal at an optical sensor circuit module; and

means for converting the pre-processed analog image signal into the digital image data at the optical sensor circuit module, wherein the timing control signals that control a generation of the analog image signal and a conversion of the analog image signal into the digital image data at the optical sensor circuit module.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a main circuit module;

a connection cable; and

an optical sensor circuit module coupled to the main circuit module through the connection cable, wherein the optical sensor circuit module is configured to;

receive scan control signals from the main circuit module; and

generate timing control signals for extracting an analog image signal in response to the received scan control signals, wherein the received scan control signals do not comprise any timing control signals.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the main circuit module is configured to:

receive scanning instruction associated with an image resolution, a brightness level, or a scanning range;

produce the scan control signals in response to the received scanning instruction; and

transmit the scan control signals through the connection cable.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the main circuit module comprises:

a main control logic unit configured to produce the scan control signals; and

a memory control logic unit coupled to the main control logic unit and configured to transfer digital image data to a memory unit.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the main control logic unit comprises an image pre-processor capable of compensating and adjusting the digital image data.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the optical sensor circuit module is further configured to:

extract an analog image signal captured in a document scanning operation from a document; and

convert the analog image signal into a digital image data, wherein the digital image data is transmitted through the connection cable.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the optical sensor circuit module comprises:

an optical sensor configured to generate the analog image signal;

an analog front-end processor coupled to the optical sensor and configured to pre-process the analog image signal;

an analog/digital converter coupled to the analog front-end processor and configured to convert the pre-processed analog image signal into the digital image data; and

a timing generator couples to the optical sensor and the analog/digital converter, wherein the timing generator configured to generate the timing control signals that control a generation of the analog image signal and a conversion of the analog image signal into the digital image data.

13. Scanning circuitry comprising an optical sensor circuit module operatively coupled to a main circuit module vie a connection cable, wherein the scanning circuitry is configured to:

receive scan control signals transmitted over the connection cable;

generate timing control signals in response to receiving the scan control signals, wherein the scan signals do not comprise any timing control signals; and

extract an analog image signal using the generated timing control signals.

14. The scanning circuitry of claim 13, further configured to:

receive a scanning instruction from a communication interface; and

produce the scan control signals in response to receiving the scanning instructions.

15. The scanning circuitry of claim 14, wherein the scanning instruction comprise an image resolution, a brightness level, or a scanning range, and wherein the scan control signals are produced in the main circuit module.

16. The scanning circuitry of claim 14, further configured to convert the analog image signal into digital image data, wherein the scan control signals are transmitted to the optical sensor circuit module, and wherein the digital image data is transmitted to the main circuit module.

17. The scanning circuitry of claim 13, further configured to:

extract the analog image signal;

convert the analog image signal into a digital image data; and

transmit the digital image data via the communication cable.

18. The scanning circuitry of claim 17, further configured to:

pre-process the analog image signal; and

convert the pre-processed analog image signal into the digital image data prior to the transmission of the digital image data via the communication cable.

19. The scanning of circuitry of claim 17, further configured to generate timing control signals that control a generation of the analog image signal and the conversion of the analog image signal into the digital image data.

20. The scanning circuitry of claim 13, further configured to:

generate the analog image signal;

pre-process the analog image signal; and

convert the pre-processed analog image signal into the digital image data, wherein the generated timing control signals control a generation of the analog image signal and a conversion of the analog image signal into the digital image data.