The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 17, 1996
Filed:
Dec. 05, 1994
Yasunori Nakamura, Tokyo, JP;
Souichi Ueta, Kanagawa-ken, JP;
Nikon Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An image reading device (image scanner) includes a resolution changing device that changes a resolution of the image signals output by a photoelectric sensor device by changing a primary scanning direction aperture size, a secondary scanning direction aperture size, or both, of the photoelectric sensor device. In order to change a resolution in the secondary scanning direction, the secondary scanning direction aperture size is changed, for example, by a control device that controls a drive velocity of a drive device that drives the photoelectric sensor device in the secondary scanning direction relative to an original document. Alternatively, the control device can control a duration of an integral time of the photoelectric sensor device during which the photoelectric sensor elements of the photoelectric sensor device collect light from the original document in order to vary the secondary scanning direction aperture size. In order to change a resolution in the primary scanning direction, the primary scanning direction aperture size is changed, for example, by an averaging process circuit that averages the signals output from a plurality of adjacent photoelectric sensor elements. The averaging process circuit changes a resolution of the image by a factor of m by averaging the signals output by m adjacent photoelectric sensor elements, wherein m is an integer.