Automatic reading device

Abstract

This automatic reading device comprises: a conveyance platform 6 that moves reciprocally in a horizontal direction with book-shaped printed matter mounted thereon; page-turning mechanism units 11, 12 that grabs a paper surface of the book-shaped printed matter to turn a page; and an image sensor unit 7 that reads the book-shaped printed matter mounted on and moved by the conveyance platform 6. By means of the image sensor unit 7, the automatic reading device separately reads a left-hand side page and a right-hand side page in a direction from a central binding portion of the book-shaped printed matter toward both ends. Due to this configuration, the automatic reading device for books can simultaneously perform page turning and reading of a book-shaped document, thus enabling continuous reading of the book-shaped printed matter without human intervention once a book is set, and enabling smooth reading of the book-shaped printed matter without causing misalignment of the paper surface.

Description

Automatic reading device

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic reading device having an automatic page turning unit and an automatic reading unit for printed matter such as books and manuscripts.

[0002] In recent years, the digitization of information, including the conversion of documents into electronic files, has become widespread. Because these fields handle large amounts of printed information, devices that can automatically input information without human intervention are desirable. There are three types of optical reading devices (scanners). First, optical reading devices read information printed on individual sheets of paper (single sheets). The paper is fed through a paper feed mechanism, and a photoelectric conversion element scans the paper as it moves, converting the grayscale information into an electrical signal. While such optical reading devices are typified by facsimiles, they cannot read printed materials such as books, magazines, and manuscripts. Another method involves placing a book open on a glass plate, like a copier, and scanning the pages from below with a photoelectric conversion element. Even with this method, printed materials such as books require manual turning of each page. Finally, small handheld scanners have been developed, but these require a human to hold the device and scan the paper.

[0003] With the conventional techniques described above, it has been difficult to automatically read booklet prints without human intervention.

[0004] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the automatic reading device of the present invention comprises a transport table that carries a booklet printed material and moves back and forth horizontally, a page-turning mechanism that picks up the pages of the booklet printed material by suction and turns the pages, and an image sensor unit that reads the booklet-shaped original that is loaded onto the transport table and moves. The image sensor unit separately reads the left and right pages of the booklet printed material from the center seam toward both ends. (Operation) Because the automatic reading device of the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, it can separately read the left and right pages of a booklet printed material with a single image sensor unit.

[0005] The automatic reading device of the present invention has the above-described configuration, and can simultaneously turn and read pages of booklet prints, so that once a book is set, booklet prints can be read continuously without manual intervention, and booklet prints can be read smoothly without misalignment of the pages. Furthermore, when used as an input device for a filing system, image data can be input automatically and efficiently.

[0006] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of an automatic reading device of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the reading operation of the automatic reading device of the present invention.

[0007] The automatic reading device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the outline of the device, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the reading operation of the device.

[0008] In the embodiment of this device shown in Figure 1, a wide conveyor belt 3 is hung on parallel drive shafts 1 and 2, a belt 4 connected to a motor (not shown) is hung on drive shaft 1, and a conveyor table 6 with a book or other booklet spine groove 5 is placed and fixed at a required location on conveyor belt 3. An image sensor 7 consisting of a CCD sensor is installed across conveyor belt 3 and conveyor table 6, and optical sensors 8 and 9 are installed in image sensor 7 to detect the position of the book. A book 10 is placed on conveyor table 6 and opened to the desired page. At the top of that page, a page-turning mechanism consisting of a suction pad 11, a separating roller 12, and a page-turning control circuit 13 is installed. An image sensor unit consisting of image sensor 7 consisting of the CCD sensor, optical sensors 8 and 9, and an image input control circuit 14 is installed. To explain the function and operating principle of the above-described device configuration, a booklet-shaped printed material (e.g., a book or a multi-page document) 10 is inserted with its spine inserted into the spine groove 5 of the conveyor table 6 and secured at its four corners. Under the control of the page-turning control circuit 13, the conveyor table 6 is moved so that the page-turning mechanism is positioned above the page to be turned, and the page-turning mechanism is lowered until the separation roller 12 contacts the page surface. The separation roller 12 is slid slightly toward the center stitch of the booklet-shaped document 10, separating the pages to be turned into one sheet and lifting the center of the page. This lifted portion of the page is then adsorbed by the suction pad 11. Next, the separation roller 12 is released from the page surface, and the suction pad 11 is raised vertically to suck up the page surface. By moving the conveyor table 6 in the opposite direction to the page, the page is reliably separated and turned. The conveyor table 6 moves further in conjunction with the page-turning operation, and the image sensor 7 reads the contents of the required page, and the output signal is supplied to the image input control circuit 14 for processing by a subsequent office automation processor or the like. The image sensor 7 may be a reduced-type optical reader using a CCD sensor or a contact-type image sensor (used in facsimiles). Next, we will explain how this device reads booklet prints. When reading normal booklet prints, if you try to read both the left and right pages at the same time, there is a risk of misalignment of the pages.The method for separately reading left and right pages from the center seam toward both ends of a booklet print is explained with reference to Figure 2: (1) The page to be turned is adsorbed by the suction pad 11 and pulled upward to begin the page-turning operation (Figure 2(a)). (2) The conveyance table 6 is moved to the right, and as the page is turned, the image sensor 7 reaches the right edge of the left page to be read (the center seam), and the image sensor 7 is brought into close contact with the page, and reading of the left page begins (Figure 2(b)). (3) The conveyance table 6 is further moved to the right, and when the optical sensor 9 attached to the image sensor 7 detects the end of the page, image input of the left page is completed (Figure 2(c)). (4) The conveyance table 6 is moved to the left, and when the image sensor 7 reaches the left edge of the right page to be read (the center seam), the image sensor 7 is brought into close contact with the page, and reading of the right page begins. (FIG. 2(d)) (5) Next, the conveyance table 6 is moved to the left, and when the optical sensor 8 detects the end of the page, the image input for the right page is completed (FIG. 2(e)). The above operations (1) to (5) complete the turning of one page and the reading of two pages of the booklet-like document. If you want to read from an open page, you can simply read the document without turning the page. In this embodiment, when the image sensor 7 performs the reading operation in the above states (2) and (3) (reading the left page), the book is fixed by the main fixing means for the right page, and the main fixing means for the left page is released, so the book is read smoothly without any misalignment. Similarly, in the above states (4) and (5), the operations are reversed. Tables 1 to 13 show examples of images obtained by reading a booklet printout (each page of a new patent specification manuscript) using this device. This device is expected to be used as an automatic input device for these electronic filing systems. Furthermore, by connecting this device to an output device such as a printer, it can also be used as an automatic copying device for printed materials such as books and magazines. Furthermore, automatic reading machines that read books aloud are desired for the blind. This device is also expected to be used as a reading device for these.

[0009] 1, 2 Drive shaft 3 Conveyor belt 6 Conveyor table 7 Image sensor 8, 9 Optical sensor 10 Booklet print 11 Suction pad 12 Separation roller 13 Page turning control circuit 14 Image input control circuit

Claims

1. An automatic reading device comprising a transport platform that carries a booklet print and moves back and forth horizontally, a page-turning mechanism that attracts the paper surface of the booklet print and turns the pages, and an image sensor unit that reads the booklet print that is mounted on the transport platform and moves, characterized in that the image sensor unit separately reads the left and right pages of the booklet print from the center seam toward both ends.

Images