Intergraph Corporation

Colortrac Limited

J Thomas Cilke

Curtis A Lipkie

Gregory A Baxes

James T Sherhart

Robert H Ring

An apparatus and method for a large-format scanner. In a preferred embodiment, a device for scanning an image on a medium having a width and providing signals representing the image includes a frame, a transport, a lamp and a plurality of sensors. The transport is mounted to the frame and is used for moving the medium along a first axis transverse to the medium's width. The lamp illuminates the medium. The lamp has a first end and a second end wherein the first end and the second end are folded back approximately 180 degrees, so that the lamp produces uniform brightness across the width of the medium. The plurality of sensors are proximate to the transport, span the medium's width, and the sensors provide a signal representative of a portion of the image within the illuminated portion of the medium. The device may also include a focal length adjustor, mounted to the frame between the sensors and the transport, for adjusting the distance between the medium and the sensors. In another embodiment, a method for focusing a device for scanning an image on a medium having a plurality of sensors each sensor having a length is presented. A scan pattern is placed into the device for scanning which creates an output of the scan pattern. The scan pattern has black dots and white spaces, where the black dots are approximately the length of a sensor, and the white spaces are positioned between the black dots. The white dots are of such a size that the black dots are spaced apart at a distance which is greater than the length of a sensor. The output of the scan pattern is displayed and the focal length between the sensor and the medium is changed based on the output of the scan pattern so that at least one sensor produces a signal which is displayed as a peak black reading.

Method and apparatus for a large-format scanner

A scanner for scanning an image on a large-format medium and generating image information. The scanner includes a secondary substrate mounted to the frame and having a length spanning the width of the medium, and a plurality of sensor boards disposed on the secondary substrate. A plurality of sensor dies are mounted on each of the sensor boards. The scanner further includes a lens strip, mounted to the frame between the sensor dies and the moving means. Preferably, a die on each end of each sensor board overhangs the end of the board, and the sensor boards are mounted on the secondary substrate so that dies overhanging ends of the sensor boards are butted against each other. The sensor dies may be wired in groups, so that image information read from the sensors in a group passes through the same data path; image information is read from a first set of sensor dies, wherein only one sensor die from each group is in the first set; and immediately after reading image information from the first set of sensor dies, image information is read from a second set of sensor dies, wherein only one sensor die from each group is in the second set, and wherein each of a plurality of sensor dies in the second set is separated by at least one other sensor die from the sensor die in the first set that is in the same group.

Growing community of inventors

Littleton, CO, United States of America

J Thomas Cilke