CN100461816C - Contact image scanner with multi-focus and multi-resolution - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a contact image scanner with multi-focus and multi-resolution, comprising: a circuit board; at least two groups of photosensitive element arrays, which are composed of a first group and a second group of photosensitive element arrays, wherein the two groups of photosensitive element arrays are arranged in parallel and are positioned on the circuit board; at least one group of cylindrical lenses, wherein each group of cylindrical lenses is composed of a first cylindrical lens and a second cylindrical lens, and the first cylindrical lens and the second cylindrical lens are respectively corresponding to the first group of photosensitive element array and the second group of photosensitive element array and are suspended above the two groups of photosensitive element arrays; the first glass is suspended above the at least one group of cylindrical lenses; the second glass is suspended between the first cylindrical lens and the first group of photosensitive element arrays; and scanning different objects to be scanned on the first glass by utilizing at least two focal lengths and resolutions formed by the two groups of photosensitive element arrays, the at least one group of cylindrical lenses and the second glass.

Description

Contact image scanner with multi-focal length and multi-resolution

This application is a divisional application of a patent application with an application date of August 13, 2004, an application number of 200410056649.1, and an invention titled "Contact Image Scanner with Multi-focal Length and Multi-resolution".

technical field

The invention relates to a contact image scanner with multiple focal lengths and multiple resolutions, in particular to a contact image scanner applicable to objects to be scanned with different scanning image focal lengths.

Background technique

The working principle of the contact image sensor (contact image sensor, CIS) module is to irradiate the light generated by the light source onto the manuscript to be scanned, reflect it through the lens group, and then gather it on the charge-coupled device (CCD) Or complementary metal oxide semiconductor (complementary metal oxide semiconductor, CMOS) is received by it, and this type of photosensitive element is used to convert the light signal into an electrical signal, and then generate analog or digital pixel (pixel) data . During the scanning process, since the CCD can detect different intensities of light reflected from different areas on the image, the principle that the darker areas on the paper reflect less light and the brighter areas reflect more light can be used to convert the The reflected light waves are converted into analog or digital data. This electrical signal is proportional to the intensity of the light. Finally, the data is read in using CIS-compatible text or image scanning software and reassembled into computer image files.

Since excellent CIS imaging performance depends on mature light control technology, the image quality obtained by the optical module is not only important, but also one of the main factors affecting the operation performance of CIS.

At present, the mainstream optical imaging method is the aforementioned contact image sensor (CIS) technology, which is a modular form of light source, lenticular lens, sensing substrate and housing, etc. combine it all toghther.

Please refer to FIG. 1( a ), which is a structural diagram of a scanning module using contact image sensor technology in the prior art. Wherein, scanning module 10 is jointly formed by light source 11, lenticular lens (Rod lens) 12, pitch element (spacer) 13, glass (cover glass) 14 and circuit board 15; It is a photosensitive element 16 made of CMOS.

In the process of using the scanning module 10 to scan the object, the glass 14 is used as the reference plane, and the focal length of the lenticular lens 12 to the scanning object is kept at a fixed distance by the distance element 13, and the light emitted by the light source 11 is transmitted by the lenticular lens 12. The object image generated after the light is reflected by the object is focused on the photosensitive element 16 to obtain an image signal. Since the general object 17 to be scanned is usually flat against the glass 14, it is very easy to maintain a fixed focal length, so that the scanning quality is good, as shown in FIG. 1( b ).

When the object to be scanned is a slide, negative film, etc., as shown in Figure 1 (c), because the outer frame of the object to be scanned 18 causes the scanned surface to be not flat on the glass 14, but between the glass 14 When there is a certain distance, the traditional scanning equipment cannot simultaneously apply to the scanned objects in two different positions (flat-attached glass 14 and above the glass 14), and it is easy to cause the modulation transfer function (MTF) of image capture quality. , Modulation Transfer Function) is bad, so its scanning quality has always been criticized.

To solve the above-mentioned problems caused by the objects to be scanned with different scanning image focal lengths, a more common technique is to use a variable-height spacing element 13, that is, to change the position of the spacing element 13 by lifting technology, and then Adjust the different relative focal lengths required in Fig. 1(b) and Fig. 1(c), so that the distance from the surface of lenticular lens 12 to different scanned objects 17 (flat glass) or 18 (above the glass) can be adjusted same. However, because the spacing element 13 is generally composed of plastic balls, steel balls, slide rails, etc., its tolerance, deformation, wear and other factors are easy to make it difficult to control the height of the lift during use. ;In addition, if you need to use small-sized objects to be scanned, such as: slides, negatives, etc., and you need to scan with a higher resolution, you cannot use a general scanner, but you must replace it with a contact with a higher resolution. type image scanner, which is not only quite inconvenient, but also uneconomical.

In order to eliminate this problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-126284 proposes a contact image scanner with dual focal lengths and dual resolutions, as shown in FIGS. 2( a ) and ( b ).

Different from the above-mentioned many technologies, it utilizes two rows of photosensitive element arrays (array) 26 and 27 arranged in parallel on the circuit board 25, respectively corresponding to lenticular lenses 22 and 23 with different focal lengths, to adapt to images with different scanning image focal lengths. The objects 28 and 29 to be scanned to eliminate the problem of poor imaging caused by them, please refer to the schematic diagrams of FIGS. 2( a ) and ( b ).

On the surface, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-126284 seems to have solved all the problems faced by the prior art, but it is not the case. For those skilled in the imaging principle and production technology of contact image scanners, this The technology of the Japanese patent not only has a narrow scope of application, but also creates more problems in use.

First, fixing the photosensitive element arrays 26 and 27 arranged in a parallel manner limits the relative position and arrangement of the corresponding lenticular lenses 22 and 23, which interlocks the volume of the contact image scanner to be limited. The trend of miniaturization will inevitably limit the number of lenticular lenses used, which is why this patent is only applicable to two sets of lenticular lenses.

Secondly, since there are only two sets of lenticular lenses and photosensitive element arrays, this patent is quite limited in the applicable range of objects to be scanned, that is, the applicable range of focal lengths of different scanned images of the objects to be scanned 28 and 29 is not enough widely.

Furthermore, the relative positions of photosensitive element arrays 26 and 27, lenticular lenses 22 and 23, and circuit board 25 are all fixed. Compared with the prior art, although a different scanning focal length and resolution have been added, in fact the scanning focal length And the resolution is still not adjustable, so it can still only treat the symptoms but not the root cause.

Contents of the invention

The main idea of the present invention is to provide a contact image scanner with multiple focal lengths and multiple resolutions, which can be applied to objects to be scanned with different scanning image focal lengths.

Specifically, the present invention provides a contact image scanner with multiple focal lengths and multiple resolutions, including: a circuit board; at least two photosensitive element arrays, consisting of a first group and a second photosensitive element array , the two groups of photosensitive element arrays are connected end to end along the sub-scanning direction to form a single row arrangement and are located on the circuit board; at least one set of lenticular lenses is composed of a first and a second lenticular lens, the first and the second lenticular lenses Two lenticular lenses corresponding to the first group and the second group of photosensitive element arrays are suspended above the two groups of photosensitive element arrays; and a first glass is suspended above the group of lenticular lenses. Wherein, at least two focal lengths and resolutions formed by the two sets of photosensitive element arrays and the set of lenticular lenses are used to scan different objects to be scanned placed on the first glass.

The contact image scanner according to the above concept uses contact image sensor (contact image sensor, CIS) technology.

The contact image scanner according to the above idea also has a housing for encapsulating the circuit board, the two sets of photosensitive element arrays, the set of lenticular lenses, and the first glass.

In the contact image scanner according to the above concept, the first photosensitive element array and the second photosensitive element array are respectively composed of a plurality of first photosensitive elements and a plurality of second photosensitive elements, and the first photosensitive element and the second photosensitive element The thickness of the elements may be the same or different.

In the contact image scanner according to the above concept, the thicknesses of the first photosensitive element and the second photosensitive element are freely selected according to the vertical distance from the first glass to the two sets of photosensitive element arrays and the thickness of the first glass Certainly.

According to the above-mentioned contact image scanner, the focal lengths of the first and the second lenticular lenses can be the same or different.

In the contact image scanner according to the above concept, the focal lengths of the first and second lenticular lenses are based on the thicknesses of the first photosensitive element and the second photosensitive element, and the vertical distance between the first glass and the two sets of photosensitive element arrays. The distance and the thickness of the first glass are freely selected.

According to the above-mentioned contact image scanner, there is a second glass between the first lenticular lens and the first photosensitive element array.

According to the above concept of the contact image scanner, there is a spacing element between the first photosensitive element array and the circuit board.

The present invention also provides a contact image scanner with multiple focal lengths and multiple resolutions, comprising: at least one first circuit board and one second circuit board; Two groups of photosensitive element arrays are respectively located on the first and the second circuit boards, and these two groups of photosensitive element arrays are connected end to end along the sub-scanning direction to form a single row arrangement; at least one set of lenticular lenses is composed of a first and a The second lenticular lens is composed of the first and the second lenticular lenses respectively corresponding to the first group and the second group of photosensitive element arrays and suspended above the two groups of photosensitive element arrays; and a glass suspended over the group above the lenticular lens. Wherein, by using the adjustment of the relative position between the first circuit board and the second circuit board, the two groups of photosensitive element arrays and the group of lenticular lenses form at least two kinds of focal lengths and resolutions. objects to be scanned for scanning.

According to the above-mentioned contact image scanner, the first circuit board and the second circuit board are connected by a connector.

The present invention also provides a contact image scanner with multiple focal lengths and multiple resolutions, comprising: at least one first circuit board and one second circuit board; Two groups of photosensitive element arrays are respectively located on the first and the second circuit boards, and the two groups of photosensitive element arrays are arranged in parallel with each other; at least one set of lenticular lenses is composed of a first and a second lenticular lens, the The first and the second lenticular lenses respectively correspond to the first group and the second group of photosensitive element arrays and are suspended above the two groups of photosensitive element arrays; and a glass is suspended above the group of lenticular lenses. Wherein, by using the adjustment of the relative position between the first circuit board and the second circuit board, the two groups of photosensitive element arrays and the group of lenticular lenses form at least two kinds of focal lengths and resolutions. objects to be scanned for scanning.

The present invention also provides a contact image scanner with multiple focal lengths and multiple resolutions, comprising: a circuit board; at least two photosensitive element arrays, consisting of a first group and a second photosensitive element array, the two A group of photosensitive element arrays are arranged in parallel with each other and located on the circuit board; at least one group of lenticular lenses, wherein each set of lenticular lenses is composed of a first and a second lenticular lens, and the first and the second lenticular lenses are respectively Corresponding to the first group and the second group of photosensitive element arrays, it is suspended above the two groups of photosensitive element arrays; a first glass is suspended above the at least one set of lenticular lenses; and a second glass is suspended above the at least one set of lenticular lenses Between the first lenticular lens and the first photosensitive element array. Wherein, using the two groups of photosensitive element arrays, the at least one group of lenticular lenses, and at least two focal lengths and resolutions formed by the second glass, different objects to be scanned placed on the first glass are used for scanning .

According to the above-mentioned contact image scanner, the second glass can be replaced by a transparent resin whose refractive index ranges from 1.3 to 1.7.

The present invention combines two or more sets of lenticular lenses with different characteristics, two or more sets of photosensitive elements, and one or more than two circuit boards into a contact image module to form a set of optical elements, which can be applied to For dual or multi-functional image scanning, it can be used for scanning objects with different resolutions or other scanned objects with different height characteristics.

The present invention combines two or more sets of lenticular lenses with different characteristics, two or more sets of photosensitive elements, and one or more than two circuit boards into a contact image module to form a set of optical elements, which are matched with The spacing element and the glass at the system end are used to scan the objects to be scanned with different scanning image focal lengths, so that the contact image scanner can have multi-focus and multi-resolution dual-purpose or multi-purpose functions.

The present invention meets the requirements of scanning surfaces with different heights by selecting or adjusting different lenticular lenses, sensing element thicknesses, spacing element thicknesses, glass thicknesses, etc. when the positions of the scanned surfaces are different.

In the design of the circuit board of the present invention, the photosensitive element can be placed on one or different (two or more) circuit boards to achieve dual or multi-functional scanning capabilities, and when the photosensitive element is placed on different sheets When using a circuit board, the position of the circuit board relative to different heights can be adjusted to achieve the desired optical requirements.

For each specific requirement (such as the height or resolution of the object to be scanned is different), the present invention has a fixed structure in which a suitable photosensitive element and a lenticular lens are matched, and can be switched according to the requirements of use. Therefore, each specific The scanned surface and focal length position will be quite accurate, and the resulting scan quality will also be of good quality.

The present invention can be better understood with the help of the following drawings and detailed description.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1(a) is a structural diagram of a scanning module applying contact image sensor technology in the known technology;

FIG. 1(b) and FIG. 1(c) are schematic diagrams of objects to be scanned with different scanning image focal lengths scanned by a contact image scanner in the prior art;

2 (a) and (b) are schematic diagrams of the contact image scanner disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-126284 scanning objects to be scanned with different scanning image focal lengths;

3(a)-(c) are structural diagrams of the first embodiment of the contact image scanner with multiple focal lengths and multiple resolutions of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the first group of photosensitive element arrays and the second group of photosensitive element arrays arranged in a single row on a circuit board in Fig. 3;

5 is a structural diagram of a second embodiment of a contact image scanner with multiple focal lengths and multiple resolutions according to the present invention;

6 is a schematic diagram of a first group of photosensitive element arrays and a second group of photosensitive element arrays arranged in parallel on a circuit board of the third embodiment of the contact image scanner with multi-focal length and multi-resolution of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a structural diagram of a fourth embodiment of a contact image scanner with multiple focal lengths and multiple resolutions according to the present invention.

in:

10: Scan module

11, 21: light source

12, 22, 23: lenticular lens

13: Spacing elements

14, 24, 34, 341, 54, 74, 741: glass

342: Spacing Elements

15, 25, 35, 75: circuit board

16: photosensitive element

17, 18, 28, 29, 38, 39, 58, 59, 78, 79: Objects to be scanned

26, 27: photosensitive element array

30, 50, 70: Contact imager scanners

32, 52, 72: the first lenticular lens

33, 53, 73: second lenticular lens

36, 56, 76: the first photosensitive element array

37, 57, 77: the second photosensitive element array

51, 51': Connector

55: First Circuit Board

55': Second circuit board

Detailed ways

(first embodiment)

Please refer to FIG. 3( a ), which is a structural diagram of the first embodiment of the contact image scanner with multiple focal lengths and multiple resolutions of the present invention. Wherein, the contact image scanner 30 using contact image sensor (contact image sensor, CIS) technology consists of a first lenticular lens 32, a second lenticular lens 33, a glass 34, a circuit board 35, a first group of photosensitive element arrays 36, and The second group of photosensitive element arrays 37 are jointly packaged in a casing (not shown in the figure).

In the contact image scanner 30, the first lenticular lens 32 and the second lenticular lens 33 correspond to the first group of photosensitive element arrays 36 and the second group of photosensitive element arrays 37 and are suspended above the two groups of photosensitive element arrays, The glass 34 is suspended above the group of lenticular lenses, and the first group of photosensitive element arrays 36 and the second group of photosensitive element arrays 37 are arranged in a single row with each other and are located on the circuit board 35; The second group of photosensitive element array 37 composed of two photosensitive elements can be located at the front end or tail end of the first group of photosensitive element array 36 composed of multiple first photosensitive elements, as long as the two groups of arrays are arranged in a single row.

In order to achieve the scanning function of a contact image scanner with dual focal lengths and dual resolutions, the thicknesses of the first photosensitive element and the second photosensitive element can be selected to be the same or different as required, and the standard is based on glass 34 to the two groups of photosensitive elements. The vertical distance of the element array, the thickness of the glass 34, and the focal length of the lenticular lens can be freely selected; similarly, the focal lengths of the first lenticular lens 32 and the second lenticular lens 33 can also be the same or different, and the standard is based on the first photosensitive The thickness of the element and the second photosensitive element, the vertical distance from the glass 34 to the two groups of photosensitive element arrays, and the thickness of the glass 34 are freely selected.

In Fig. 3 (a), the combination of the first lenticular lens 32 and the first photosensitive element array 36 is used to scan general object 38 to be scanned, such as paper (paper type), and by the second lenticular lens 33 The combination with the second group of photosensitive element arrays 37 is used to scan special objects to be scanned 39, such as slides (film type) and objects to be scanned with high resolution.

That is, the present embodiment utilizes at least two focal lengths and resolutions formed by the two groups of photosensitive element arrays and the group of lenticular lenses to scan different objects to be scanned placed on the glass; in addition, although the present embodiment As a dual-function design, this design can still be extended to a multi-functional mechanism, just by adding the combination of photosensitive element array and lenticular lens.

In addition, in the structure of FIG. 3( a), another lenticular lens 32 and the first group of photosensitive element arrays 36, or between the second lenticular lens 33 and the second group of photosensitive element arrays 37 may be provided. The glass 341 can achieve multiple focal lengths and multiple resolutions by properly selecting the thickness of the glass 341 ; as shown in FIG. 3( b ).

For the same reason, another method is to set a spacing element 342 between the first group of photosensitive element arrays 36 and the circuit board 35, or between the second group of photosensitive element arrays 37 and the circuit board 35, by properly selecting Or adjust the thickness or height of the spacing element 342 to achieve multi-focal length and multi-resolution; as shown in FIG. 3( c ).

Compared with the aforementioned prior art, this embodiment forms more than two types of focal lengths and resolutions by combining multiple groups of photosensitive element arrays and multiple lenticular lenses, so that the contact image scanner can target objects with different scanning image focal lengths. scan the object to be scanned; in addition, the first group of photosensitive element arrays 36 and the second group of photosensitive element arrays 37 are arranged in a single row with each other, which can not only meet the needs of various designs, but also save the overall size of the contact image scanner, reaching The goal of miniaturization.

(second embodiment)

Please refer to FIG. 5 , which is a structural diagram of a second embodiment of the contact image scanner with multiple focal lengths and multiple resolutions of the present invention. The only difference from the aforementioned first embodiment is that the first group of photosensitive element arrays 56 and the second group of photosensitive element arrays 57 of this embodiment are respectively located on different first circuit boards 55 and second circuit boards 55', The first circuit board 55 and the second circuit board 55' are connected by connectors 51 and 51'.

Same as the first embodiment, the second photosensitive element array 57 composed of a plurality of second photosensitive elements can be located at the front end or the tail end of the first photosensitive element array 56 composed of a plurality of first photosensitive elements, as long as the two groups The array can be arranged in a single row, as shown in FIG. 4 .

The focal length and resolution control factors of this embodiment compared with the aforementioned first embodiment lie in the thicknesses of the first photosensitive element and the second photosensitive element, the glass 54 and the two groups of photosensitive elements described in the first embodiment. On the basis of the variable factors such as the vertical distance of the array and the thickness of the glass 54, the adjustment variable of the relative positions between the first circuit board 55 and the second circuit board 55' is added, so that the contact image scanner 50 has multiple Focus and multi-resolution control can be more sensitive.

Similar to FIG. 3 , in this embodiment, the combination of the first lenticular lens 52 and the first photosensitive element array 56 is used to scan general objects to be scanned 58, such as paper (paper type), and the second lenticular lens 53 The combination with the second group of photosensitive element arrays 57 is used to scan special objects to be scanned 59, such as slides (film type) and objects to be scanned with high resolution.

Likewise, this embodiment can still be extended to a multi-functional mechanism, only need to increase the combination of circuit board, photosensitive element array and lenticular lens.

Compared with the aforementioned prior art, this embodiment increases the variable factors for adjusting the relative positions between multiple circuit boards on the combination of multiple sets of photosensitive element arrays and multiple lenticular lenses, so as to form more focal lengths and Contact image scanners with different resolutions, enabling them to scan objects with different focal lengths of scanned images.

(third embodiment)

The structure of the third embodiment of the contact image scanner with multiple focal lengths and multiple resolutions of the present invention is similar to that of the second embodiment, but the only difference is that the first group of photosensitive element arrays 56 and the second Although the groups of photosensitive element arrays 57 are respectively located on different circuit boards, the second group of photosensitive element arrays 57 composed of a plurality of second photosensitive elements and the first group of photosensitive element arrays 56 composed of a plurality of first photosensitive elements are connected to each other. Arranged in a parallel manner; as shown in Figure 6, the length of the second group of photosensitive element arrays 57 can be made according to the requirements of the scanned object, and its position relative to the X axis can also be defined according to the designer's preference, as The map can be at position 1, position 2, position 3 or any position in between, and its position relative to the Y axis can also be adjusted according to the convenience of production.

Compared with the aforementioned prior art, this embodiment not only forms more than two kinds of focal lengths and resolutions by combining multiple groups of photosensitive element arrays and multiple lenticular lenses, but also increases the arrangement of photosensitive element array groups. Space, combined with the adjustment of the relative positions between multiple circuit boards, makes the contact image scanner more compatible and selective for various objects to be scanned with different scanning image focal lengths.

(fourth embodiment)

Please refer to FIG. 7 , which is a structural diagram of a fourth embodiment of a contact image scanner with multiple focal lengths and multiple resolutions according to the present invention. Although similar to the case of using another glass 341 in the first embodiment, the first group of photosensitive element arrays 76 and the second group of photosensitive element arrays 77 of this embodiment are located on the same circuit board 75, and are shown in FIG. arranged in parallel.

Compared with the above-mentioned prior art, this embodiment has more factors of the thickness of the glass 741, and has more variability in the selection of multi-focal length and multi-resolution, so that the operation performance of the contact image scanner is different from that of various types. The object to be scanned with the focal length of the scanned image is more flexible.

In summary, the present invention utilizes the combination of multiple circuit boards, multiple sets of photosensitive element arrays and multiple lenticular lenses to coordinate the adjustment of the relative position between the circuit boards and the change of the relative position between multiple sets of photosensitive element arrays. , and the thickness of the selected photosensitive element, the vertical distance from the glass to the photosensitive element array, and the length and thickness of the glass, form more than two focal lengths and resolutions in a variety of ways.

Due to the way of adjusting the height of the spacer element mentioned in the prior art, the tolerance of the height of the spacer element is more than +/-0.1mm (the tolerance of the ball is about +/-0.025mm, the tolerance of the slide rail is about +/-0.05 mm, the steel ball tolerance is about +/-0.025m, and there are still problems such as deformation and wear), so it will seriously affect the value of the modulation transfer function. Relatively speaking, the advantage of the present invention is that no additional tolerance problems will occur , resulting in better scan quality.

The present invention enables the contact image scanner to scan objects to be scanned with different scanning image focal lengths, which not only can meet the requirements of various designs, but also can save the overall size of the contact image scanner, meeting the needs of the market The goal of miniaturization is applicable not only to scanners, but also to multifunction printers (MFPs) that are popular in the market today.

The present invention can be modified and changed by those skilled in the art without departing from the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims (2)

1. contact image scanner with many focal lengths and multiresolution comprises:

One circuit board;

At least two group light-sensing element array are made of one first group and one second group of light-sensing element array, and described two groups of light-sensing element array form to each other and are arranged in parallel and are positioned on this circuit board;

At least one group of lens pillar, wherein each group lens pillar is made of one first and one second lens pillar, this first and this second lens pillar respectively to should first group and this second group of light-sensing element array and be suspended at described two groups of light-sensing element array top;

One first glass is suspended at this at least one group of lens pillar top; And

One second glass is suspended between this first lens pillar and this first group of light-sensing element array;

Wherein, utilize described two groups of light-sensing element array, this at least one group of lens pillar, with formed at least two kinds of focal lengths of this second glass and resolution, at placing this first different object to be scanned on glass to scan.

2. contact image scanner as claimed in claim 1, wherein this second glass can be replaced by the transparent resin of ranges of indices of refraction between 1.3～1.7.

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