Movable document cradle for facilitating imaging of bound documents

Abstract

Systems and methods for moving a document cradle to facilitate imaging of a bound document are disclosed. The system may include a cradle supporting a document, such as a book, a cradle positioner for selectively positioning the cradle relative to a camera, and a controller for controlling the positioner to automatically position the cradle based on the location of the page being imaged relative to the camera. The cradle may be positioned such that a gutter of the book or a surface plane of each page being imaged remains in approximately the same position relative to the camera. The cradle positioner may include a servo motor controlling a shaft to position the cradle supported and guided by a bearing. A sensor (e.g., 3D camera, range finder, laser, and/or edge detector) may be provided to facilitate the controller in controlling the cradle positioner based on the location of the page being imaged relative to the camera. The controller may control the positioner based on, for example, current page count tracked by the controller, total number of pages, thickness of the book, width of the gutter of the cradle, and/or weight of the book exerted on one or both sides of the cradle.