JP2000078365A - Film image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain improvement in operability by reducing the space to be secured for moving a film holder by identifying the mounting direction of an attaching/detaching member, based on a signal provided by reading an area corresponding to a window part through the imaging device of the main body of a reader. SOLUTION: The positions of window parts 21-26 formed are made eccentric in one end side of a Y-direction, and the relative positions of the window parts 21-26 corresponding to the main body of scanner in the Y-direction are changed, corresponding to the mounting direction of a film holder 10. Namely, when the mounting direction of the film holder 10 is changed, the direction of images on a transmission original 54 is rotated by 180 deg. as well. Therefore, for images to be read by a film image reader, difference is generated in the direction between the images of first to third frames and of fourth to sixth frames. If the mounting direction of the film holder 10 can be known, the direction of all the images for six frames can be arranged as prescribed. Then, the window parts 21-26 are utilized for detecting the direction of the film holder 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a film image reading apparatus, and more particularly to a film image reading apparatus for reading an image of each frame from a strip film having an image forming area of a plurality of frames.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, on a transparent original such as a negative film obtained by developing a long film photographed by a camera, a large number of image forming areas are continuously formed. In addition, this type of transparent document is generally cut for each image forming area of 6 frames, and is separated into a plurality of transparent documents as a strip film.

To read an image from such a transparent original, a film image reading device called a film scanner is used. When reading an image of each frame of a strip film formed by connecting a plurality of image forming regions, a film holder capable of holding a 6-frame-long strip film is used, and the film holder holding the strip film is connected to a film scanner. To load.

When an image is read from a transparent document having a plurality of image forming areas formed thereon, it is necessary to align the reading range of the film image reading device with the document position for each frame. That is, every time the image frame to be read is changed, the transparent original or the film holder must be moved relative to the film image reading apparatus.

When reading an image of six frames without special measures, the relative movement amount of the film holder becomes a maximum of five frames. In order to allow the movement of the five-frame-length film holder, a large space must be secured on the film image reading device and before and after the film image reading device as a space for moving the film holder. Therefore, it is inevitable that the film image reading apparatus is increased in size and occupies a large space.

Therefore, it has been devised to load the film holder into the film image reading device in two different directions. That is, one end and the other end in the moving direction of the film holder are switched so that the film holder can be loaded in the film image reading apparatus in two different directions. With the film holder loaded in the first orientation, reading of the first, second, and third frames of the transparent original is enabled. When the film holder is loaded in the second orientation, the fourth, fifth, and sixth frames of the transparent original can be read.

In this case, even when reading a transparent original on which six frames of images are formed, the relative movement amount of the film holder becomes a maximum of two frames. Therefore, it is not necessary to secure a large space as a moving space for the film holder, and the film image reading apparatus can be downsized.

[0008]

However, the direction of the image read with the film holder loaded in the first orientation and the direction of the image read with the film holder loaded in the second orientation are 180. Different degrees.

[0009] Therefore, one strip film is
When reading all the images of the frame, the first, second, and third frames of the image in the predetermined direction and the fourth, fifth, and sixth frames of the image in the opposite direction are read. can get. For this reason, in order to align the orientation of the image in a predetermined direction, the user using the film image reading apparatus needs to perform the following operations on the fourth, fifth and sixth frames of the image.
The rotation process of the image output from the film image reading device must always be performed, and a cumbersome operation is required.

The present invention reduces the space to be secured for the movement of the film holder when reading a transparent original in which a plurality of frames of image forming areas are connected, and reduces the operability of the user who operates the film image reading apparatus. The purpose is to improve.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a film image reading apparatus, comprising: a reading apparatus main body capable of reading a transparent original;
It is configured to be attachable to the reading device main body in various kinds of orientations,
A detachable member for holding a strip film having image forming regions of a plurality of frames, a window formed in the detachable member for identification of a mounting direction, and an image pickup element of the reading device main body for an area corresponding to the window. And mounting direction identifying means for identifying a mounting direction of the detachable member based on a signal obtained by reading the information.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the film image reading apparatus according to the first aspect, a light source that emits an infrared light component is provided as an illumination light source for reading an original image, and the mounting direction identification unit is configured to illuminate an infrared light component. The mounting direction of the detachable member is identified from transmitted light at a position corresponding to the window using light. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the film image reading apparatus according to the first aspect, an information sending unit for sending information on the mounting direction of the detachable member identified by the mounting direction identifying unit to the outside is provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the film image reading apparatus according to the first aspect, the direction of the document image read by the reading device main body is controlled according to the mounting direction of the detachable member identified by the mounting direction identifying means. Output image control means for outputting the image data. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the film image reading apparatus according to the first aspect, the detachable member includes a first member and a second member which are relatively movable in a direction in which the image forming areas of the strip film are arranged. A first window for identifying the mounting direction in the first member, and a first window for identifying the mounting direction on the second member at a position opposing the first window. A second window portion is formed.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the film image reading apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the first member for supporting the strip film is provided with a first member for reading an image at a position corresponding to each image forming area of the strip film. A first opening, a second opening having substantially the same size as the first opening is formed in the second member, and the second opening is formed in the moving direction of the first member. The second window is formed at a position adjacent to the second opening.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the film image reading apparatus according to the fifth aspect, a first opening for reading an image is provided at a position corresponding to each image forming area of the strip film of the first member. And the first window is formed at a position adjacent to the outermost first opening.

(Action) (Claim 1) A strip film, which is a transparent original, is held by a detachable member. The detachable member is attached to the reading device main body in a first direction or a second direction opposite to the transparent document reading position of the reading device main body.

The detachable member is provided with a window for identifying a mounting direction. The mounting direction identifying means identifies the mounting direction of the detachable member based on a signal obtained by reading an area corresponding to the window with an image sensor of the reading device main body.

When the mounting direction of the detachable member changes, the direction of the image read by the reading device main body changes, and at the same time, the mounting direction of the removable member identified by the mounting direction identifying means also changes. Accordingly, if the presence or absence of rotation of the read image is controlled in accordance with the mounting direction of the detachable member identified by the mounting direction identification unit, the direction of the image of the plurality of frames can be determined in a specific direction without a special operation by the user. Can be aligned.

Further, since the mounting direction identifying means identifies the mounting direction of the detachable member based on a signal obtained by reading the window with the image sensor of the reading device main body, a special sensor is added for identifying the mounting direction. It is not necessary to carry out, and an increase in cost can be suppressed. (Claim 2) When identifying the mounting direction of the detachable member, transmitted light at a position corresponding to the window is read using illumination light of an infrared light component.

The transmitted light at the position corresponding to the window passes through the base density portion and the image portion of the transparent original. Accordingly, the amount of attenuation of light transmitted through the transmissive original varies depending on the density of the original in the base density portion and the image portion. However, the attenuation of the wavelength component of the infrared light does not change regardless of the original density of the base density portion and the image portion. By reading the transmitted light at the position corresponding to the window using the illumination light of the infrared light component, the influence of the difference in the document density of the transmitted document at the position corresponding to the window is eliminated. Therefore, the mounting direction of the detachable member can be identified by a relatively simple process.

(Claim 3) The information sending means sends the information on the mounting direction of the detachable member identified by the mounting direction identifying means to the outside. Therefore, when processing the image information by connecting the reading device main body to a predetermined host computer, on the host computer side, based on the information on the mounting direction of the detachable member that is sent out by the information sending means of the reading device main body,
The directions of the images of a plurality of frames can be aligned.

(4) The output image control means controls and outputs the orientation of the document image read by the reading device main body in accordance with the mounting direction of the detachable member identified by the mounting direction identifying means. Therefore, even when the image of all the frames is read by changing the mounting direction of the detachable member, the directions of the images of all the frames output from the reading device main body are automatically aligned in a predetermined direction.

(Claim 5) The first member constituting the detachable member
And the second member relatively move in the direction in which the image forming areas of the strip film are arranged. Also,
The first member has a first window, and the second member has a second window. Further, the second
Is formed at a position that can face the first window.

By the relative movement of the first member and the second member, the image forming area of one frame of the strip film can be aligned with a predetermined image reading range of the reading device main body. The light passing through at least one of the first window and the second window identifies the mounting direction of the detachable member. When the first window portion and the second window portion are located at positions overlapping each other, the mounting direction of the detachable member is identified by the light passing through both.

(Claim 6) The first opening of the first member is formed at a position corresponding to each image forming area of the strip film. The image of the strip film is the first of the first members supporting it.
And through the second opening of the second member.

The second window is formed at a position adjacent to the second opening in the moving direction of the first member. Since the second window is formed at a position close to the image reading range, the second window is formed by using the imaging device of the reading device main body.
The light that has passed through the window can be read. (Claim 7) A first opening of the first member is formed at a position corresponding to each image forming area of the strip film. The first window is formed at a position adjacent to the outermost first opening.

When an image is read through the outermost first opening, the first window overlaps the second window, and the light passing through the window identifies the mounting direction of the detachable member. Is done. When an image is read through another first opening, the second window is opposed to the first opening, and thus light is transmitted through the second window and the first opening. The mounting direction of the detachable member is identified. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a large number of first windows in accordance with the number of the first openings.

[0028]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) FIGS. 1 to 13 show the structure and operation of a film image reading apparatus according to this embodiment. This form is defined in claims 1 to 3 and claims 5 to 5.
This corresponds to claim 7. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a film image reading apparatus 100 on which a film holder 10 is mounted.
FIG. 2 shows the slide mount 20 and the film image reading device 1
It is a perspective view which shows 00. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where the film holder 10 is opened.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the adapter 13.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the film holder 10 in a closed state. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the film holder 10 in a closed state. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing three kinds of states of the film holder 10 loaded with the transparent original 54. FIG. FIG. 8 is a front view showing the internal structure of the scanner main body 50. FIG. 9 shows a film image reading apparatus 100 and a host computer 2.
It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the electrical part of 00. FIG. 10 is a waveform diagram showing an example of a one-line signal output from the line sensor 61.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the main operation of the film image reading apparatus 100. FIG. 12 shows FIG.
5 is a flowchart showing details of the content of step S13 of FIG. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing main operations of the host computer 200. In this embodiment, claim 1
The reading device main body, the detachable member, and the mounting direction identification means correspond to the scanner main body 50, the film holder 10, and the microcomputer 110, respectively. The window of claim 1 corresponds to the windows 21 to 26.

The light source of claim 2 corresponds to the light source 62. The information sending means of claim 3 is a microcomputer 1
10 and corresponds to step S39. The first member and the second member of claim 5 correspond to the lower holder 11 and the adapter 13, respectively. The first window of claim 5 is a window 2.
1 and 22. The second window of claim 5 is the window 2.
5 and 26.

The first opening of claim 6 corresponds to the apertures 16 (1) to 16 (6). The second opening of claim 6 corresponds to the apertures 18 and 19. The scanner body 50 of the film image reading apparatus 100 of this embodiment includes
The slide holder 20 can be mounted as shown in FIG. 2 or the film holder 10 can be mounted as shown in FIG.

When an image is read from a strip-film-shaped transparent original 54 in which a plurality of frames of image forming areas are connected, the film holder 10 is opened as shown in FIG. The film holder 10 is closed as shown in FIG. Then, the film holder 10 loaded with the transparent original 54 is inserted in the direction of the arrow X shown in FIG. The film holder 10 is detachable from the scanner body 50.

The film holder 10 comprises a lower holder 11, an upper holder 12 and an adapter 13 shown in FIG. The lower holder 11 and the upper holder 12 have a size that can hold the transparent original 54 having a length of 6 frames. The lower holder 11, the upper holder 12, and the adapter 13 are made of a light-shielding material. One end of the lower holder 11 and the upper holder 12 in the width direction (Y direction) is connected by a hinge 14. Since the upper holder 12 rotates about the hinge 14, the lower holder 11 and the upper holder 12 can be opened and closed. Since the lower holder 11 and the upper holder 12 are engaged in a closed state by the engaging portion 15 provided at the other end in the width direction, the closed state can be maintained.

The transparent original 54 is sandwiched and fixed between the lower holder 11 and the upper holder 12, and is supported by the film holder 10. In the lower holder 11, six apertures 16 (1) to 16 (6) are formed at positions corresponding to the image forming portions 59 (1) to 59 (6) of each frame of the transparent original 54. The upper holder 12 also has an image forming unit 5 for each frame of the transparent original 54.
Six apertures 17 (1) to 17 (6) are formed at positions corresponding to 9 (1) to 59 (6).

Apertures 16 (1) to 16 (6) and 17
Each of (1) to 17 (6) is a rectangular opening having the same size as the image forming units 59 (1) to 59 (6) of each frame of the transparent original 54. Apertures 16 (1) to 16 (6) and 17
(1) to 17 (6) are arranged in a line for six frames. The sizes of the apertures 17 (1) to 17 (6) are slightly larger than the apertures 16 (1) to 16 (6). Further, the apertures 16 (1) to 16 (6) and the apertures 17 (1) to 17 (6) are arranged at positions facing each other.

The lower holder 11 has an aperture 16 (1)
A window 21 formed at a position outside the X direction adjacent to the aperture 16 and a window 22 formed at a position outside the X direction adjacent to the aperture 16 (6).

The upper holder 12 has an aperture 17 (1)
A window 23 formed at a position outside the X direction adjacent to the aperture 17 and a window 24 formed at a position outside the X direction adjacent to the aperture 17 (6). The windows 21 to 24 are openings provided for identifying the mounting direction of the film holder 10. The size of the windows 21 to 24 is the aperture 16
It is much smaller than (1) -16 (6) and 17 (1) -17 (6).

With the lower holder 11 and the upper holder 12 closed, the windows 21 and 23 are positioned so that the windows 21 and 23 overlap. Similarly, the windows 22 and 24 are positioned so that the windows 22 and 24 overlap. The lower holder 11 is supported on the adapter 13 so as to be relatively movable within a predetermined range in the X direction and the opposite direction with respect to the adapter 13. In this example, the relative movable range is set to two frame lengths of the transparent original 54. No relative movement in the Y direction.

By the relative movement between the lower holder 11 and the adapter 13, the position of the frame to be read of the transparent original 54 is adjusted. In the film image reading apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the lower holder 11 and the adapter 13 need to be relatively moved by a manual operation of the user. Each time the lower holder 11 and the adapter 13 reach a predetermined relative position, a click feeling is transmitted to the user's hand moving the lower holder 11,
A click portion (not shown) is formed in a sliding portion between the lower holder 11 and the adapter 13 for each frame.

By stopping the movement of the lower holder 11 at a position where the user feels a click feeling, the lower holder 11 and the adapter 13 can be easily aligned with a predetermined image reading reference position. As shown in FIG.
One aperture 18, 19 and two windows 25, 26 are formed. Apertures 18 and 19 are transparent original 5
4 is a rectangular opening having the same size as the image forming units 59 (1) to 59 (6) of each frame.

The size of the apertures 18 and 19 of the adapter 13 is determined by the apertures 16 (1) to 16 (16) of the lower holder 11.
It is slightly larger than (6). Lower holder 1
By relatively moving the adapter 1 and the adapter 13 in the X direction or in the opposite direction, any one of the apertures 16 (1) to 16 (6) can be positioned so as to face the aperture 18 or the aperture 19.

The windows 25 and 26 are formed in the same size as the windows 21 to 24. The window 25 is formed at a position that can face the windows 21 and 23. The window 26 is formed at a position where the window 26 can face the windows 22 and 24. That is, by the relative movement between the lower holder 11 and the adapter 13,
The windows 21 and 23 can be moved to a position facing the window 25, and the windows 22 and 24 can be moved to a position facing the window 26.

More specifically, with the lower holder 11 and the adapter 13 positioned at positions where the aperture 18 and the aperture 16 (1) face each other, the window 25 and the window 21 are positioned.
Windows 21 and 25 are arranged such that they face each other. In a state where the lower holder 11 and the adapter 13 are positioned at a position where the aperture 19 and the aperture 16 (6) face each other, the windows 22 and 26 are arranged so that the window 26 and the window 22 face each other. Have been.

In this example, two apertures 18, 1
The apertures 18 and 19 are arranged so that the distance of 9 is 4 frames of the image. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, in a state where the center of the lower holder 11 and the center of the adapter 13 are aligned in the X direction, the aperture 16 (2) and the aperture 18 face each other, and the aperture 16 ( 5) and the aperture 19 face each other.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the windows 21 to 26
Are apertures 16 (1) -16 (6), 17 (1) -17
(6), 18 and 19 are arranged at positions along one end in the width direction (Y direction). The lower holder 11, the upper holder 12, and the adapter 13 constituting the film holder 10 are formed in shapes substantially symmetric with respect to the X direction and the Y direction. Therefore, the film holder 10 has its one end 10 a facing the document holding portion 53 of the scanner
Alternatively, the other end 10b can be loaded into the scanner main body 50 with the other end 10b facing the document holding section 53.

When the film holder 10 is mounted on the scanner main body 50 with one end 10a of the film holder 10 facing the document holding portion 53, any one of the image forming portions 59 (1) to 59 (3) of the transparent document 54 is The image formed by the image forming units 59 (1) to 59 (3) can be read while being positioned at a position facing the aperture 18. Further, the film holder 10 is connected to the other end 10.
b is loaded into the scanner body 50 toward the document holding section 53, the image forming sections 59 (4) to 59
By positioning any one of (6) at a position facing the aperture 18, the images of the image forming units 59 (4) to 59 (6) can be read.

Since the positions where the windows 21 to 26 are formed are offset toward one end in the Y direction, the relative positions of the windows 21 to 26 in the Y direction with respect to the scanner main body 50 are determined by the direction in which the film holder 10 is loaded. It changes according to. Therefore, due to the difference in the positions of the windows 21 to 26, the film holder 10
Can be identified. FIG. 7A shows one end 10 a of the film holder 10 attached to the original holder 5 of the scanner body 50.
It is assumed that the film holder 10 is loaded into the scanner main body 50 toward 3 and the image forming section 59 (1) on which the image of the first frame is formed is positioned at a position facing the aperture 18.

FIG. 7B shows an image in which the film holder 10 is loaded into the scanner main body 50 with the one end 10a of the film holder 10 facing the document holding portion 53 of the scanner main body 50 and the image of the second frame is formed. It is assumed that the forming portion 59 (2) is positioned at a position facing the aperture 18.

FIG. 7C shows that the film holder 10 is loaded on the scanner main body 50 with the other end 10b of the film holder 10 facing the document holding portion 53 of the scanner main body 50, and the image of the sixth frame is formed. It is assumed that the image forming section 59 (6) is positioned at a position facing the aperture 19. 7A and 7B, the image at the position facing the aperture 18 is read. FIG.
In the state (c), an image at a position facing the aperture 19 is read.

As can be seen from the three states shown in FIG. 7, when the direction in which the film holder 10 is loaded changes, the direction of the image on the transparent original 54 also rotates by 180 degrees. Therefore, with respect to the image read by the film image reading device 100, the direction differs between the images of the first to third frames and the images of the fourth to sixth frames.
If the direction in which the film holder 10 is loaded is known, the directions of all the images of the six frames can be aligned in a predetermined direction. Therefore, the windows 21 to 26 are used to detect the orientation of the film holder 10.

That is, one of the direction identification positions Q shown in FIG.
By reading the lines, the windows 21, 23, 25,
Alternatively, the relative positions of the windows 22, 24, 26 in the Y direction can be detected, and the orientation of the film holder 10 can be identified. The structure of the scanner main body 50 will be described with reference to FIG. Although FIG. 8 shows a state where the slide mount 20 is mounted, the film holder 10 can be selectively mounted in two kinds of directions instead of the slide mount 20.

An illumination unit 52 is provided above the transparent original 54.
Is arranged. The illumination unit 52 includes a light source 62 that can selectively emit illumination light of four different wavelengths. The light source 62 contains four types of light emitting diodes that emit wavelength components of R (red), G (green), B (blue), and IR (infrared).

In this example, the light source 62 emits infrared light having a center wavelength of 830 nm as IR illumination light. The infrared illumination light is used for identifying the mounting direction of the film holder 10 and the like. The illumination light emitted from the light source 62 passes through various optical elements built in the illumination unit 52, and is applied to the transmission original 54 as light traveling from top to bottom. This illumination light illuminates one line in a direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the drawing of FIG. 8 with uniform illuminance.

An image pickup unit 51 is provided below the transparent original 54.
Is arranged. The imaging unit 51 includes various optical elements and a line sensor 61. The line sensor 61 is a one-dimensional solid-state imaging device including a CCD or the like. The line sensor 61 can read one line in a direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the drawing of FIG. Also,
In this example, an element having sufficient sensitivity to the wavelength component of infrared light is used as the line sensor 61.

A part of the illuminating light from the illuminating unit 52 passes through the transmissive original 54 and travels to the imaging unit 51. This light enters the line sensor 61 via various optical elements inside the imaging unit 51. Therefore, an image corresponding to the transmitted light amount of one line on the transparent original 54 can be read by the line sensor 61. The imaging unit 51 and the illumination unit 52 are integrally formed on a predetermined mechanical block. The mechanical block on which the imaging unit 51 and the illumination unit 52 are mounted is supported inside the scanner main body 50 so as to be movable in the X direction and the opposite direction. The imaging unit 51 is also movable in the Z direction and the opposite direction.

The mechanical block on which the imaging unit 51 and the illumination unit 52 are mounted is connected to the sub-scanning mechanism 55. An electric motor M1 is connected to the sub-scanning mechanism 55. When the electric motor M1 is driven, the imaging unit 51 and the illumination unit 52 move in the X direction or the opposite direction.

The movable range of the imaging unit 51 and the illumination unit 52 in the X direction is sufficiently larger than the size of the image area of one frame. Therefore, the position of one line read by the line sensor 61 can be mechanically sub-scanned from one end to the other end of an image of one frame on the film holder 10 or the slide mount 20. Also, the line sensor 6
1, the position of one line to be read can be moved to the direction identification position Q shown in FIG.

A focus adjustment mechanism 56 is connected to the image pickup unit 51. Also, the focus adjustment mechanism 5
6 is connected to an electric motor M2. Electric motor M
By driving 2, the mechanical block moves in the Z direction or the opposite direction, so that the distance between the imaging unit 51 and the illumination unit 52 and the transparent document 54 is adjusted. By adjusting the distance, the focal point of the image formed on the line sensor 61 can be changed.

As shown in FIG. 9, the film image reading apparatus 100 is used in a state of being connected to a host computer 200 such as a personal computer. Referring to FIG. 9, film image reading apparatus 100 and host computer 20
The configuration of 0 will be described below. Inside the film image reading apparatus 100, a microcomputer 110, a memory 120, an interface 130, a timing generator 140, an amplifier 150, an A / D converter 160, an LED
A driver 170 and motor drivers 180 and 190 are provided.

The turning on / off of the light source 62 built in the lighting unit 52 is controlled by the microcomputer 110 via the LED driver 170. The photographing operation of the above-described line sensor 61 incorporated in the imaging unit 51 is controlled by the microcomputer 110 via the timing generator 140. An electric signal output from the line sensor 61 for each line of the captured image is input to the A / D converter 160 via the amplifier 150. Image data converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 160 is processed by the microcomputer 110 and stored in the memory 120 or output to the interface 130.

The microcomputer 110 is connected to the host computer 200 via the interface 130. The microcomputer 110 controls the operation of the film image reading device 100 according to a command (command) input from the host computer 200 via the interface 130. Image data read from the transparent original 54 by the film image reading apparatus 100 and information indicating the direction of the film holder 10 are sent to the host computer 200 via the interface 130.

The microcomputer 110 drives the electric motor M1 via the motor driver 190 when moving the mechanical block on which the imaging unit 51 and the illumination unit 52 are mounted in the X direction for sub-scanning or the like.
When focusing is necessary, the microcomputer 110 drives the electric motor M2 via the motor driver 180.

The host computer 200 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 210, a memory 220, and a hard disk 2
30, CD-ROM 240, interface 250,
A printer 260 and a display device 270 are provided. CP
U210 includes a program on a ROM (read only memory) built in the memory 220 and the hard disk 23.
From 0, a program read into a RAM (read / write memory) on the memory 220 is executed as necessary. The program is read from the CD-ROM 240 and stored in the memory 22.
0 or the hard disk 230.

When using the film image reading apparatus 100, the CPU 210 executes a predetermined program. Then, the host computer 200 transmits a control command to the film image reading apparatus 100 according to the support of the user. The image data transferred from the film image reading device 100 to the host computer 200 includes:
It is stored in the memory 220. The image data stored in the memory 220 can be displayed as a two-dimensional image on the display device 270 or output as a hard copy by the printer 260.

The film image reading apparatus 100 shown in FIG.
Is realized under the control of the microcomputer 110. Each step of FIG. 11 executed by the microcomputer 110 will be described. Step S
At 11, the initialization of each part of the electric circuit and the mechanical part is performed. By this initialization, the mechanical block on which the imaging unit 51 and the illumination unit 52 are mounted is positioned at a predetermined standby position.

In step S12, the process waits until a scan command from the host computer 200 is received. This scan command is sent to the host computer 20.
0 is transmitted from the host computer 200 to the microcomputer 110 when the user performs a predetermined input operation with respect to 0. In step S13, the document mounting direction is identified. In this process, the mounting direction of the film holder 10 is actually identified. Details of this processing are shown in FIG. This will be described later.

In step S14, the electric motor M1 is driven to move the mechanical block on which the imaging unit 51 and the illumination unit 52 are mounted to a predetermined image reading start position in the direction opposite to X. That is, the mechanical block is moved to a position where one line read by the line sensor 61 faces one end of any one of the image forming units 59 (1) to 59 (6) of the transparent original 54.

In step S15, the microcomputer 110 controls the light source 62 of the illumination unit 52 via the LED driver 170, and turns on only the light emitting diode that emits R light. In step S16, an image of one line is captured by the line sensor 61 which is an image sensor. The image data of the R color component of the one-line image thus obtained is transmitted to the host computer 200 via the interface 130.

In step S17, the microcomputer 110 controls the light source 62 of the illumination unit 52 via the LED driver 170, and turns on only the light emitting diode that emits G light. In step S18, an image of one line is captured by the line sensor 61 which is an image sensor. The image data of the G color component of the one-line image thus obtained is transmitted to the host computer 200 via the interface 130.

In step S19, the microcomputer 110 controls the light source 62 of the illumination unit 52 via the LED driver 170, and turns on only the light emitting diodes that emit B light. In step S20, an image of one line is captured by the line sensor 61 which is an image sensor. The image data of the B color component of the one-line image thus obtained is transmitted to the host computer 200 via the interface 130.

In step S21, the electric motor M1 is driven to move the mechanical block on which the imaging unit 51 and the illumination unit 52 are mounted by a small distance in the direction opposite to X. For example, when reading an image at a resolution of 600 dpi in the sub-scanning direction, it moves by a distance of 1/600 inch each time step S21 is executed. Until the sub-scanning from one end to the other end of one frame of the image on the transparent original 54 is completed, the processes of steps S15 to S21 are repeatedly executed. When the sub-scanning position reaches a predetermined reading end position, the process proceeds from step S22 to step S23. Also,
The illumination of the illumination unit 52 is turned off.

In step S23, the electric motor M1 is driven to move the mechanical block on which the imaging unit 51 and the illumination unit 52 are mounted in the X direction to the standby position. Then, the operation after step S12 is repeated. Details of step S13 will be described with reference to FIG. In step S30, the electric motor M1 is driven to mount the imaging unit 51 and the illumination unit 52 such that the reading position of one line of the image formed on the line sensor 61 matches the direction identification position Q shown in FIG. The mechanical block is positioned at a predetermined position.

In step S31, the microcomputer 110 controls the light source 62 of the illumination unit 52 via the LED driver 170, and turns on only the light emitting diodes that emit infrared light. In step S32, an image of one line is captured by the line sensor 61 as an image sensor.
The image data of the infrared light component of the one-line image thus obtained is temporarily stored in the memory 120.

The correspondence between the waveform of the signal of one line output from the line sensor 61 and the position in the Y direction when executing the step S32 is as shown in FIG. 10A or 10B. For example, in the state shown in FIG. 7A, at the direction identification position Q, the window 25 on the adapter 13
Window 21 on lower holder 11 and window 2 on upper holder 12
3, the infrared light from the illumination unit 52 passes through only the windows 23, 21 and 25 and forms an image on the line sensor 61 of the imaging unit 51.

Therefore, in the state shown in FIG. 7A, a signal as shown in FIG. 10B is obtained. That is, Y1
A high-level signal is obtained in the window area in the range of ~ Y2, and a low-level signal is obtained in other areas since light is blocked by the film holder 10.

In the state shown in FIG. 7B, at the direction identification position Q, the window 25 on the adapter 13, the aperture 16 (1) on the lower holder 11, and the upper holder 12
Since the upper aperture 17 (1) is located at the overlapping position,
The infrared illumination light from the illumination unit 52 passes only through the aperture 17 (1), the aperture 16 (1) and the window 25, and forms an image on the line sensor 61 of the imaging unit 51.

Therefore, in the state shown in FIG. 7B, a signal as shown in FIG. 10B is obtained as in the state shown in FIG. 7A. In the state (c) shown in FIG. 7, at the direction identification position Q, the window 26 on the adapter 13, the window 22 on the lower holder 11, and the window 24 on the upper holder 12.
Is located at a position where the light beams overlap with each other, the infrared illumination light from the illumination unit 52 passes only through the regions of the windows 24, 22 and 26 and forms an image on the line sensor 61 of the imaging unit 51.

Therefore, in the state shown in FIG. 7C, a signal as shown in FIG. 10A is obtained. That is, Y3
A high-level signal is obtained in the window area in the range from Y4 to Y4, and a low-level signal is obtained in the other areas since light is blocked by the film holder 10. Generally, when light passes through the transmissive original 54, the amount of transmitted light is affected by the original density of the base density portion of the transmissive original 54, the original density of the recorded image portion, and the like. However, these effects do not occur in the infrared light component.

In this example, since the infrared illumination light from the illumination unit 52 is used in the identification processing of the original mounting direction, the original density of the base density portion of the transparent original 54 and the original of the recorded image portion are used. A signal which is not affected by the density or the like is obtained in the window area as shown in FIGS. In any case, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the film holder 1 with one end 10 a facing the document holding portion 53.
FIG. 10A shows a case where the film holder 10 is mounted on the scanner main body 50 with the other end 10b facing the document holding portion 53 as shown in FIG. ) And (b), there is a difference between the obtained signals.

Since the positions of the windows 21 to 26 in the Y direction do not change except for the change in the mounting direction of the film holder 10, the positions Y1, Y2, Y3, and Y4 of the window area in FIG. 10 do not change. In step S33 in FIG. 12, the microcomputer 110 controls the light source 62 of the lighting unit 52 via the LED driver 170 to turn off all the lights.

In step S34, FIG. 10A and FIG. 10A stored in the memory 120 by the processing in step S32.
Reference is made to a one-line signal as shown in FIG. This one
The signal of the line is composed of a number of pixels arranged side by side in the Y direction. In step S34, signals of a plurality of pixels within the range of Y1 to Y2 in FIG. 10B are extracted from the signals of one line.

In step S35, the average value Ld of the signal levels of a plurality of pixels extracted in step S34 is calculated in order to eliminate the influence of noise. In step S36,
The average value Ld obtained in step S35 is set to a predetermined threshold L
Compare with th. In this example, the threshold value Lth is set to 50, which is the maximum value of the signal level (255 in the case of 8 bits).
% Value is assigned.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, when the film holder 10 is mounted on the scanner main body 50 with the one end 10a facing the document holding section 53, one line as shown in FIG. Is greater than the threshold value Lth, the process proceeds from step S36 to step S37. When the film holder 10 is mounted on the scanner main body 50 with the other end 10b facing the document holder 53 as shown in FIG. 7C, the Y1 signal of one line is output as shown in FIG. Since the level in the range from Y2 to Y2 is smaller than the threshold value Lth, the process proceeds from step S36 to step S38.

That is, the process proceeds to one of steps S37 and S38 according to the mounting direction of the film holder 10. In step S37, the flag Fr indicating the mounting direction of the film holder 10 is cleared to 0. In step S38, a flag Fr indicating the mounting direction of the film holder 10 is set to 1.

In step S39, the microcomputer 110 transmits the information of the flag Fr to the host computer 20.
Send to 0. On the other hand, the host computer 200 operates as shown in FIG. The operation of the host computer 200 will be described with reference to FIG. In the initialization of step S51, loading of a system program and an application program executed when the film image reading apparatus 100 is used are executed.

At step S52, an input operation from the user is detected. When a predetermined reading start instruction is detected, the process proceeds from step S52 to step S53. Step S53
Then, a scan command is transmitted from the host computer 200 to the film image reading apparatus 100. Step S
At 54, the film image reading apparatus 100 receives the flag Fr and image data transmitted to the host computer 200. The received image data is stored on the RAM of the memory 220. Note that the image data is stored in different areas on the memory 220 for each of R, G, and B colors.

In the step S55, it is determined whether or not the reception of the image data of one frame is completed. When the reception of the image data of one frame is completed, steps S55 to S55 are performed.
Proceed to 56.

In step S56, the value of the flag Fr received from the film image reading device 100 is checked. If the flag Fr is 1, the process proceeds to step S57, and the flag Fr
Is 0, the process skips step S57 and skips step S5.
Return to 2. In step S57, the direction of the image is set to 1 for the image data of one frame received in step S54.
Rotate 80 degrees.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b), the film holder 1 with one end 10a facing the original holder 53.
0 is attached to the scanner main body 50, step S
Although the rotation process of the image 57 is not executed, if the film holder 10 is mounted on the scanner main body 50 with the other end 10b facing the document holding unit 53 as shown in FIG. Is executed.

The direction of the original image read when the film holder 10 is mounted on the scanner main body 50 with the one end 10a facing the original holding portion 53, and the film holder 10 with the other end 10b facing the original holding portion 53, FIG. 7 shows the orientation of the original image that is read when the
As shown in (a), (b), and (c), the image is rotated by 180 degrees in advance, so that the image rotation is executed only when the flag Fr is 1, so that the 6-frame image output by the host computer 200 is output. Are all aligned in the same direction.

(Second Embodiment) This embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment, and the contents of the processing in FIG.
The third embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except for the following changes. 14, the same processes as those in FIG. 12 are denoted by the same step numbers. Only the changed part in each processing shown in FIG. 14 will be described below.

In step S34B, the signals of all the pixels of the one-line signal read in step S32 are processed.
Specifically, the signal level of each pixel is compared with a threshold value Lth, and a binarized signal is obtained for each pixel in accordance with the magnitude relation therebetween. In this example, a pixel whose signal level is larger than the threshold Lth is set to the high level H, and the other pixels are set to the low level L.

In step S35B, first, in step S35
By referring to the signal binarized at 34B, the range of the window portion in which the high-level H pixels continue for a predetermined number or more is specified. That is, the range of Y1 to Y2 shown in FIG.
The range of Y3 to Y4 shown in FIG. Then, a center position Pw of the window area and a width Ww of the window area are obtained. For example, when the range of Y1 to Y2 shown in FIG. 10B is the range of the detected window portion, an intermediate position between Y1 and Y2 is set as the center position Pw, and the distance between Y1 and Y2 is set to the width. Set to Ww.

In step S36B, step S35B
The position Pw of the center of the range of the window obtained in the step is compared with a predetermined threshold value Pth. As the value of the threshold value Pth, for example, a value at an intermediate position between Y2 and Y3 shown in FIG. 10 may be used. (Third Embodiment) This embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, and the contents of the processing in FIG. 14 are changed as shown in FIG. Further, in this embodiment, the windows 22, 24, 26 of the film holder 10 are eliminated, or the sizes of the windows 22, 24, 26 in the Y direction are made smaller than the windows 21, 23, 25. I assume. The rest is the same as the second embodiment.

In FIG. 15, the same processes as those in FIG. 14 are denoted by the same step numbers. Only the changed part in each processing shown in FIG. 15 will be described below. In step S36C, the width Ww of the range of the window obtained in step S35B is compared with a predetermined threshold value Wth. As the value of the threshold value Wth, for example, Y shown in FIG.
(Fourth Embodiment) This embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment, and is a configuration and a basic operation of the film image reading apparatus 100. Is the same as in the first embodiment.
However, the processing in FIG. 11 is changed as shown in FIG.

This embodiment corresponds to claim 4. Claim 4
Corresponds to the microcomputer 110 and step S25. That is, in this embodiment, the image rotation processing is executed on the film image reading apparatus 100 in accordance with the direction in which the film holder 10 is mounted. From the film image reading device 100 to the host computer 20
Since the image data of all the frames transmitted to 0 are aligned in advance, the host computer 200
It is not necessary to execute the rotation process as shown in step S57.

In FIG. 16, the same processes as those in FIG. 11 are denoted by the same step numbers. Only the changed part in each processing shown in FIG. 16 will be described below. In this example, the data of the image read in steps S16, S18, and S20 is stored in the memory 120. After executing step S23, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, the value of the flag Fr indicating the mounting direction of the film holder 10 is checked. If the flag Fr is 1, the process proceeds from step S24 to S25. If the flag Fr is 0, the process returns from step S24 to S12.

In step S25, the image data of one frame held in the memory 120 is processed to rotate the direction of the image by 180 degrees. The image data held in the memory 120 is transmitted in response to a transmission request from the host computer 200 after confirming that the flag Fr is 0 in step S24 or after performing image rotation processing in step S25. Is transmitted from the film image reading apparatus 100 to the host computer 200.

In all of the above-described embodiments, only 180-degree rotation is performed as the image rotation processing. However, if the transparent document 54 loaded in the film holder 10 is placed upside down, the vertical direction of the image to be read in the Y direction is reversed, and the image orientation may not be aligned. Therefore, mirroring processing for inverting the vertical relationship of the image in the Y direction may be performed on the film image reading apparatus 100 or the host computer 200 as necessary.

The processing of the fourth embodiment is the same as that of the second embodiment.
The processing described in the third embodiment and the third embodiment may be changed. Further, the processing described in the second embodiment and the third embodiment may be combined, and the orientation of the film holder 10 may be identified based on both the position Pw and the width Ww of the detected window area. The positions, shapes, sizes, and the like of the windows 21 to 26 formed in the film holder 10 may be changed as necessary.

[0102]

According to the present invention, it is possible to align images of a plurality of frames in a specific direction without a special operation by a user. Further, it is not necessary to add a special sensor for identifying the mounting direction of the detachable member, and it is possible to suppress an increase in cost.

(Claim 2) It is hard to be affected by the difference in the original density between the base density portion and the image portion of the transparent original at the position corresponding to the window. Therefore, the mounting direction of the detachable member can be identified by a relatively simple process. (Claim 3) In the case where image data is processed by connecting the reading device main body to a predetermined host computer, the host computer uses the information on the mounting direction of the detachable member sent by the information sending means of the reading device main body. Thus, the directions of the images of a plurality of frames can be aligned.

(Claim 4) Even when images of all frames are read by changing the mounting direction of the attaching / detaching member, the directions of the images of all frames output from the reading device main body are automatically aligned in a predetermined direction. (Claim 5) By the relative movement of the first member and the second member, the image forming area of one frame of the strip film can be aligned with a predetermined image reading range of the reading device main body. Further, the light passing through at least one of the first window portion and the second window portion can identify the mounting direction of the detachable member.

(Claim 6) Since the second window is formed at a position close to the image reading range, the light passing through the second window can be read by using the image pickup device of the reading apparatus main body. . (Claim 7) There is no need to form a large number of first windows in accordance with the number of first openings.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a film image reading apparatus 100 on which a film holder 10 is mounted.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a slide mount 20 and a film image reading device 100.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where a film holder 10 is opened.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the adapter 13;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the film holder 10 in a closed state.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the film holder 10 in a closed state.

7 is a plan view showing three types of states of the film holder 10 loaded with the transparent original 54. FIG.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing the internal structure of the scanner main body 50.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an electrical unit of the film image reading apparatus 100 and the host computer 200.

FIG. 10 is a waveform diagram showing an example of a one-line signal output by a line sensor 61.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing main operations of the film image reading apparatus 100.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing details of the content of step S13 in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing main operations of the host computer 200.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a modified example of step S13 in FIG.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a modified example of step S13 of FIG.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a modification of the operation of the film image reading apparatus 100.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Film holder 11 Lower holder 12 Upper holder 13 Adapter 14 Hinge 15 Engagement part 16, 17, 18, 19 Aperture 20 Slide mount 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 Window 50 Scanner main body 51 Imaging unit 52 Illumination unit 53 Document holding unit 54 Transparent document 55 Sub-scanning mechanism 56 Focus adjustment mechanism 59 Image forming unit 61 Line sensor 62 Light source 100 Film image reading device 110 Microcomputer 120 Memory 130 Interface 140 Timing generator 150 Amplifier 160 A / D converter 170 LED Drivers 180, 190 Motor driver 200 Host computer 210 CPU 220 Memory 230 Hard disk 240 CD-ROM 250 Interface 260 Printer 270 display device M1, M2 electric motor

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A reading apparatus main body capable of reading a transparent original, and a plurality of frames of image forming, which are configured to be attachable to the reading apparatus main body in two directions facing a transparent original reading position of the reading apparatus main body. A detachable member for holding a strip film having an area, a window formed in the detachable member for identification of a mounting direction, and an area corresponding to the window, which is obtained by reading by an image sensor of the reading apparatus body. A film image reading apparatus comprising: a mounting direction identification unit that identifies a mounting direction of the detachable member based on a signal. 2. A film image reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a light source for emitting an infrared light component as an illumination light source for reading an original image, wherein said mounting direction identification means uses the illumination light of the infrared light component. A film image reading device for identifying the mounting direction of the detachable member from the transmitted light at a position corresponding to the window. 3. A film image reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising information sending means for sending information on the mounting direction of said detachable member identified by said mounting direction identifying means to the outside. Reader. 4. The film image reading device according to claim 1, wherein the direction of the document image read by the reading device main body is controlled and output according to the mounting direction of the detachable member identified by the mounting direction identification means. A film image reading device provided with an output image control means for performing the operation. 5. The film image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detachable member includes a first member and a second member that are relatively movable in a direction in which the image forming areas of the strip film are arranged. A first window for identifying the mounting direction in the first member, and a first window for identifying the mounting direction on the second member at a position opposing the first window. A film image reading device, wherein a second window is formed. 6. A film image reading apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first member for supporting the strip film has a first opening for reading an image at a position corresponding to each image forming area of the strip film. And a second opening having substantially the same size as the first opening is formed in the second member, and the second opening is formed in the moving direction of the first member. A film image reading apparatus, wherein the second window portion is formed at a position adjacent to the portion. 7. The film image reading apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first member for reading an image is located at a position corresponding to each image forming area of the strip film of the first member.
Wherein the first window is formed at a position adjacent to the outermost first opening.