Image scanning device, multifunction peripheral, image scanning method, and non-transitory computer-readable medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10498916-B2
Application number	US-201916448011-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2019
Priority date	Dec 12, 2016
Publication date	Dec 3, 2019
Grant date	Dec 3, 2019

Abstract

An image scanning device includes a placement-area image data capturing unit that captures placement-area image data corresponding to an area where documents are placed on a platen, a document image data capturing unit that captures pieces of document image data, each of which corresponds to one of the documents, and acquires positions of the pieces of document image data, in accordance with the placement-area image data captured by the placement-area image data capturing unit, a placement order acquiring unit that acquires an order in which the documents, each of which corresponds to one of the pieces of document image data, have been placed in accordance with at least the positions of the pieces of document image data, each of which corresponds to one of the documents, and a sequencing unit that assigns to the pieces of document image data the order acquired by the placement order acquiring unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image scanning device comprising:
a document image data generator that captures a plurality of pieces of document image data, each of which corresponds to one of a plurality of documents placed on a platen, and acquires positions of the plurality of pieces of document image data;
an order detector that detects positions and an order in which a plurality of document candidates have been placed on the platen; and
a placement order acquirer that acquires an order in which the plurality of documents, each of which corresponds to one of the plurality of pieces of document image data, have been placed on the platen in accordance with at least the positions of the plurality of pieces of document image data, each of which corresponds to one of the plurality of documents placed on the platen; wherein
the order detector is configured or programmed to include:
an image generator that acquires moving images by capturing images of the platen; and
a determiner that determines an order in which the plurality of document candidates have been placed in accordance with the moving images acquired by the image generator.

2. The image scanning device according to claim 1 , wherein the order detector detects the plurality of document candidates placed on the platen and the order in which the plurality of document candidates have been placed on the platen in response to placement of a new document candidate on the platen and removal of a document candidate present on the platen from the platen.

3. The image scanning device according to claim 1 , wherein the placement order acquirer compares the positions of the plurality of document candidates detected by the order detector and the positions of the plurality of pieces of document image data acquired by the document image data generator, updates the order detected by the order detector by removing a document candidate with a position that corresponds to none of the positions of the plurality of pieces of document image data, and acquires an order in which the plurality of documents have been placed on the platen in accordance with a correspondence between the positions and the order of the plurality of document candidates after the updating and a correspondence between the position of each of the document candidates that has a corresponding piece of the document image data and the position of the corresponding piece of the document image data.

4. The image scanning device according to claim 1 , wherein the determiner detects a plurality of individual document candidates in accordance with the moving images acquired by the image generator, and determines an order in which the plurality of document candidates have been placed in accordance with an order in which the plurality of individual document candidates have been detected.

5. An image forming apparatus comprising:
the image scanning device according to claim 1 .

6. An image scanning method comprising:
capturing a plurality of pieces of document image data, each of which corresponds to one of a plurality of documents placed on a platen, and acquiring positions of the plurality of pieces of document image data;
detecting an order that detects positions and an order in which a plurality of document candidates have been placed on the platen; and
acquiring an order in which the plurality of documents, each of which corresponds to one of the plurality of pieces of document image data, have been placed on the platen in accordance with at least the positions of the plurality of pieces of document image data, each of which corresponds to one of the plurality of documents placed on the platen; wherein
the detecting an order is performed based on acquiring moving images by capturing images of the platen and determining an order in which the plurality of document candidates have been placed in accordance with the moving images acquired.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing an image scanning program causing a computer to function as the image scanning device according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Ogasawara Kenji

Classifications

• H04N1/00708

  Size or dimensions · CPC title

• G03B27/62

  Holders for the original (G03B27/53 takes precedence {; for electrophotographic copiers G03G15/60}) · CPC title

• H04N1/04

  Scanning arrangements {, i.e. arrangements for the displacement of active reading or reproducing elements relative to the original or reproducing medium, or vice versa}(H04N1/387 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04N1/00734

  Optical detectors · CPC title

• H04N1/2038

  lying in the same plane · CPC title