Patent Application
20070291330
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
Refer to
As shown in
The transparent media adapter module 100 comprises a media holder 170, a diffuser 180, a light guide assembly 185, and a lens assembly 150. The media holder 170 positions and holds the transparent media 175. On top of the media holder 170 and transparent media 175 is a diffuser 180 for diffusing light. The light guide assembly 185 comprises a light source 190 for illuminating the transparent media 175. On the bottom of the light guide assembly 195 are wheels that facilitate movement of the light guide assembly 185.
The lens assembly 150 comprises a lens array 155. Similar to the light guide assembly 185, the lens assembly 150 has wheels 165 on the bottom of the assembly 150 which roll across glass 145. A magnet 160 or a plurality of magnets is disposed on the lens assembly 150 for magnetically coupling with a magnet 112 connected to the optical system of the scanner module 105.
In the embodiment illustrated in
In operation, the TMA 100 uses illumination from the light source 190 of the light guide assembly 185 to illuminate the diffuser 180 and transparent media 175. The light source 125 in the scanner module 105 is disabled when the TMA 100 is operating. The lens assembly 150 is used to focus the light from the media to create an intermediate image 140 between the TMA 100 and the scanner platen glass 130. In
As the optical system of the scanner module 105 moves the magnetically coupled light guide assembly 185 and lens assembly 150 follow the optical system. In this way, as the light guide assembly 185 illuminates a portion of the media 175, an intermediate image 140 of the media 175 is formed by the lens assembly 150 and captured by the sensor array 115. As the optical system continues to move across the media 175, this process continues until a complete image of the media 175 is captured.
Refer to
Since the 12B lens array 156 is relatively long it is impractical to place the lens array 156 vertically. Therefore, in
Refer to
For the 12E lens array shown on the bottom of
An advantage of the present invention is that since the lens assembly, light guide assembly, and optical system of the scanner module are magnetically coupled, no motor or drive assembly are required in the TMA. This saves expense and reduces complexity of the TMA Additionally, the magnets that are used to couple the existing scan module allow the TMA and the underlying scan module to properly align and move in a synchronized manner. The magnets keep the TMA aligned with the scan module as it moves from left to right or from right to left.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the light guide assembly, lens assembly, or scan module use a metal plate instead of a magnet, as long as the magnet on the other module is strong enough to provide sufficient coupling to the metal plate. For example, when using a scan module with a metal plate instead of a magnet installed, positioning a magnet or magnets on the lens assembly allows the magnet of the lens assembly to couple with the scan module and follow the scan module movement. Alternatively, a metal plate is attached to light guide assembly. A magnet on the lens assembly couples to the metal plate and allows the light guide assembly to move with the lens assembly.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the light guide assembly, lens assembly, or scan module use an electromagnet instead of a magnet, as long as the electromagnet is strong enough to provide sufficient coupling to the other module. For example, when using a scan module with an electromagnet instead of a magnet installed, positioning a magnet or magnets on the lens assembly allows the magnet of the lens assembly to couple with the electromagnet on the scan module and follow the scan module movement.
In the embodiments illustrated in
As described above, the present invention provides a compact, low cost transparent media adapter that is magnetically coupled to the scan system. This allows the cost of the transport system to be reduced because the need for a motor and drive system are eliminated.
The present invention backlights the transparent media so it can be imaged by the underlying scanner module. The lens assembly captures a significant amount of light and focuses the light to create an intermediate image of the media.
The transparent media adapter with magnetically coupled optics and light guide of the present invention solves the problem of how to flatten and backlight transparent media for a CIS or reduced optics based scanner. The magnetic coupling allows the optics and illumination to be optimized for a narrow region that moves in sync with the scan module.
Furthermore, the present invention has the advantage that it can transfer the media image to the correct focal plane for the underlying scan module. This is particularly important for CIS based scanners because they have very shallow depth of field and cannot scan media that is above the platen glass.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the invention and its equivalent.
