Fuji Photo Film Company, Limited

Yukinori Nishioka

Hitoshi Shimizu

Toshihito Kimura

Nobuhiko Ogura

Masashi Hakamata

Masato Some

Tomoaki Umeda

A scanning device or alight beam is moved for reciprocal scanning with respect to an image carrier, which carries image information thereon, and in a main scanning direction. The scanning device or the light beam is also moved with respect to the image carrier and in a sub-scanning direction intersecting with the main scanning direction. Light, which comes from the image carrier, is photoelectrically converted into an electric image signal. Smoothing operation processing is performed on forward scanning image signal components and backward scanning image signal components, which have been acquired respectively in a forward scanning stage and a backward scanning stage consecutive in the reciprocal scanning, and with respect to the sub-scanning direction.

Method and apparatus for processing read-out images

A fluorescent image reading apparatus includes stimulating ray sources each adapted for emitting a stimulating ray toward an image carrier carrying a fluorescent image and causing it to release fluorescent light, a CCD and a filter disposed on the side of the CCD facing the image carrier, the filter including a color glass filter for cutting the stimulating ray and transmitting the fluorescent light and a dichroic coating for cutting the stimulating ray and transmitting the fluorescent light disposed on the side of the color glass filter facing the image carrier. According to the thus constituted fluorescent image reading apparatus, it is possible to improve the S/N ratio by cutting the stimulating ray and fluorescent light to prevent them from causing noise in image data.

Fluorescent image reading apparatus

With an optical head, a stimulating ray beam produced by a stimulating ray source is irradiated onto an image carrier supported on a stage, and light emitted by the image carrier is collected and guided toward a photodetector. At least either one of the optical head and the stage is moved with respect to the other and in two-dimensional directions along a plane parallel with the other. The optical head comprises a concave mirror for reflecting the stimulating ray beam, which travels in parallel with the stage, toward the image carrier, and a lens for converging the stimulating ray beam, which has been reflected from the concave mirror, onto the image carrier. The lens and the concave mirror also guide the light, which is emitted by the image carrier, toward the photodetector.

Image read-out method and apparatus

An image reading apparatus includes three laser stimulating ray sources, a stage on which two or more kinds of image carriers can selectively be placed, a scanning mechanism for scanning the image carrier with a laser beam emitted from the laser stimulating ray sources, thereby stimulating the image carrier, a light detector for photoelectrically detecting light emitted from the image carrier in response to stimulation by the laser beam and a confocal optical system for leading light emitted from the image carrier to the light detector, the image reading apparatus further including a confocal switching member having pinholes of different diameters and disposed between the confocal optical system and the light detector. The thus constituted image reading apparatus can be used for not only a micro-array image detecting system but also an autoradiographic image detecting system, a chemiluminescent image detecting system, an image detecting system using an electron microscope and a radiographic diffraction image detecting system using a stimulable phosphor sheet and a fluorescent image detecting system.

Image reading apparatus

An image reading apparatus comprises at least one laser stimulating ray source for emitting a laser beam and a light detector for photoelectrically detecting fluorescent light released from an image carrier upon an excitation by the laser beam. The light detector can detect light having wavelength shorter than 700 nm with high sensitivity. The apparatus further comprises a filter provided in front of the light detector that is made of a material to able cut light having wavelength of the laser stimulating ray and emits a fluorescent light having a peak wavelength equal to or longer than 700 nm upon excitation by the laser stimulating ray. According to the thus-constituted image reading apparatus, it is possible to read fluorescent images with high sensitivity.

An image processing apparatus includes a shading data calculating section for two-dimensionally mapping digitized data obtained by photo-electrically detecting uniform light converged by a lens by a two-dimensional sensor, thereby producing two-dimensional shading data whose density signal levels ellipse-like lower outwardly from a center pixel corresponding to the center of the lens to produce one-dimensional shading data from the density signal levels of the two-dimensional shading data on an arbitrary straight line extending outwardly from the center of the center pixel and calculating the angle &thgr; between the straight line used for producing the one-dimensional shading data and the longer axis of the ellipse and the ratio of the longer axis to the shorter axis of the ellipse, a shading data memory for storing the one-dimensional shading data, the angle &thgr; and the ratio of the longer axis to the shorter axis of the ellipse, a shading correction data producing section for producing shading correction data of each pixel based on the one-dimensional shading data, the angle &thgr; and the ratio of the longer axis to the shorter axis of the ellipse stored in the shading data memory in accordance with distance between the center of the center pixel and itself and an angle between a straight line passing through the center of the center pixel and itself and the longer axis of the ellipse and a shading correcting section for correcting shading of image data based on the shading correction data. According to the thus constituted image processing apparatus, it is possible to simply correct the shading of an image produced by a two-dimensional sensor by converging onto the two-dimensional sensor light through a lens.

Image processing apparatus for shading correction

An image producing apparatus includes at least one light emitting diode stimulating ray source, a filter for cutting a stimulating ray emitted from the at least one light emitting diode stimulating ray source and allowing only fluorescent light generated by stimulation of a fluorescent substance by the stimulating ray to pass therethrough, and a solid state image sensor for detecting the fluorescent light transmitted through the filter. According to the thus constituted image producing apparatus, it is possible to safely produce a fluorescent image at low cost.

Image producing apparatus

A scanning apparatus includes a sheet holder for holding a sheet to be scanned in the shape of a segment of a cylinder, a light source for irradiating the sheet with light, a spinner including a converging lens for converging light from the light source on the surface of the sheet, and a light detector for photoelectrically detecting light from the sheet, a spindle motor including a plurality of rolling balls in a bearing for rotating the spinner coaxially with a center axis of the cylinder, and a sub-scanning device for moving the sheet holder relative to the spinner in a direction parallel to the center axis, and the rolling balls are provided so that the vibrational frequency F of the bearing satisfies the formula Fb/6.ltoreq..vertline.F-n1.times.Fb.vertline..ltoreq.Fb/2 wherein Fb is the rotational frequency of the spindle motor and n1 is a positive integer. According to the thus constituted scanning apparatus, it is possible to read an image which contain no visibly recognizable wave-like unevenness even when the image is read at high density at a reduced scanning pitch.

Growing community of inventors

Kaisei-machi, Japan

Yukinori Nishioka