Scanner and scanning method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9531897-B2
Application number	US-201514979701-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2015
Priority date	Dec 26, 2014
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

A scanner is configured to scan an original sheet to generate image data, an image on the original sheet being subject to scanning, obtaining a first side of the original sheet area within one of a leading end side part and a trailing end side part of the image, the first end side part being a part where two edges having a common end do not exist, an outer side edge in the first end side part being obtained as the first side, obtaining a second side of the original sheet area within a second side part, the second end side part being a part where a pair of edges having a common end exists, one of the pair of edges closer to the first end side part being obtained as the second side, and determining the original sheet area based on the first and the second sides.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A scanner, comprising:
a scanning device configured to scan an image on an original sheet; and
a controller,
wherein the controller, when executing instructions, is configured to execute:
a scanning process in which the controller causes the scanning device to scan an original sheet to generate image data, an image on the original sheet being subject to scanning;
an identifying process in which the an original sheet area defining an area of an image of the front surface of the original sheet from an image represented by the image data obtained in the scanning process,
the identifying process including:
a first side obtaining process in which the controller obtains a first side of the original sheet area within a first end side part which is one of a leading end side part and a trailing end side part of the image, the first end side part being a part where two edges having a common end do not exist, the controller obtaining an outer side edge in the first end side part as the first side;
a second side obtaining process in which the controller obtains a second side of the original sheet area within a second side part which is the other of a leading end side part and a trailing end side part of the image, the second end side part being a part where a pair of edges having a common end exists, the controller obtaining one of the pair of edges closer to the first end side part as the second side; and
a determining process in which the controller determines the original sheet area based on the first side and the second side; and

an extraction process in which the controller extracts an image within the original sheet area from an image represented by the image data obtained in the scanning process.

2. The scanner according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller is configured to further executes:
a detecting process in which the controller detects an edge in one end side part of the leading end side part and trailing end side part; and
a determining process in which:
when the edges detected in the detecting process includes a pair of edges having a common end in the one end side part, the controller determines the one end side part as the second side part; and
when the edges detected in the detecting process do not include the pair of edges having a common end, the controller determines the one end side part as the first side.

3. The scanner according to claim 2 ,
wherein the controller executes the identifying process when one of the leading end side part and the trailing end side part is determined as the second side in the determining process, and
wherein, when the controller determines that both the leading end side part and the trailing end side part as the first sides, the controller determines the original sheet area with use of the edge detected in the leading end side part and the edge detected in the trailing end side part.

4. The scanner according to claim 1 ,
further comprising:
a sheet tray configured to accommodate one or multiple original sheets to be scanned by the scanning device; and
a conveying device configured to convey the original sheets from the sheet tray inside the scanner,
the conveying device comprising:
a feeder arranged on a first side of the original sheet conveyed from the sheet tray into the scanner and configured to introduce the original sheet from the sheet tray into the scanner; and
a separator arranged on a second side of the original sheet conveyed from the sheet tray into the scanner and configured to separate one original sheet from the multiple original sheet,
wherein the controller is configured such that:
when the scanned surface is the first surface, the controller determines that the leading end of the image is in the first side part and the trailing end of the image is in the second side part; and
when the scanned surface is the second surface, the controller determines that the leading end of the image is in the second side part and the trailing end of the image is in the first side part.

5. The scanner according to claim 4 , further comprising an overlapped feeding detector arranged between the sheet tray and the scanning device and configured to detect overlapped feeding representing the original sheets being fed in an overlapped state, wherein the controller is configured to normally determine that an error occurs when the overlapped feeding detector detects the overlapped feeding, the controller not determining that an error occurs when the over lapped feeding detector detects the overlapped feeding on condition that a particular setting having been made.

6. The scanner according to claim 4 ,
further comprising an overlapped feeding sensor arranged on downstream with respect to the conveying device and on upstream with respect to the scanning device and configured to output different signal when a single original sheet is conveyed and the original sheets are conveyed in an overlapped manner, and
the controller is configured to:
detect edges in the first side part in the image represented by the image data scanned in the scanning process and obtain the first side of the original sheet area in the first side obtaining process, and
obtain the second side based on positions at which the outputs of the overlapped feeding sensor have changed and an inclination of the first side, in the second side obtaining process.

7. The scanner according to claim 4 ,
wherein the controller is configured to:
obtain the first side by detecting an edge in the first side part from the image represented by the image data scanned in the scanning process in the first side obtaining process; and
detect a position of a corner of a folded portion on the second part side from the image represented by the image data scanned in the scanning process, and detect the second side based on the position of the corner and the inclination of the first side.

8. The scanner according to claim 1 ,
further comprising:
a sheet tray configured to accommodate on or multiple original sheets to be scanned by the scanning device;
a conveying device configured to convey the original sheets accommodated in the sheet tray inside the scanner;
a sheet sensor arranged on downstream with respect to the conveying device and on upstream with respect to the scanning device and configured to output a signal indicating presence of the original sheet and a signal indicating absence of the original sheet depending on presence and absence of the original sheet, respectively; and
an overlapped feeding sensor arranged on downstream with respect to the conveying device and on upstream with respect to the scanning device and configured to output different signal when a single original sheet is conveyed and the original sheets are conveyed in an overlapped manner,
wherein the scanning device scans the original sheet conveyed by the conveying device;
wherein the controller is configured to execute a detecting process in which the controller detects edges in one of the leading end side part and the trailing end side part of the image represented by the image data scanned by the scanning process; and
a determining process in which:
when the edges detected in the detecting process includes a pair of edges having a common end in the one end side part, the controller determines the one end side part as the second side part; and
when the edges detected in the detecting process do not include the pair of edges having a common end, the controller determines the one end side part as the first side;

wherein, in the identifying process:
when the one of the leading end side part and the trailing end side part is determined in the determining process to be the first side part,
the controller is configured to obtain

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Yu Lifan

Classifications

• H04N1/4092

  Edge or detail enhancement · CPC title

• H04N1/00602

  Feed rollers · CPC title

• H04N1/00748 Primary

  Detecting edges, e.g. of a stationary sheet · CPC title

• H04N1/00718

  Skew · CPC title

• H04N1/00774

  Adjusting or controlling · CPC title