Scanning Image Orientation Alignment via Time Interval Analysis
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Scanning technologies face challenges in aligning orientations of images, particularly when scanning books or bound documents, as they require manual rotation and result in unclear or misaligned images due to the limitations of flatbed and sheet-fed scanners.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device with a scanning module, storage module, identification module, timing unit, alignment module, and control unit that aligns orientations of scanning images based on calculated time intervals, allowing for automatic orientation alignment of scanning images within the same task without manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a flatbed scanner is used to scan bound documents or books, then the scanner can handle bound documents without tearing them apart, but the scanning image may be unclear or have dark portions due to the book not being fully flattened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a movable support structure that can dynamically adjust its position and angle to follow the curvature of bound documents. The support structure includes movable arms or pads that can be positioned at different locations along the document binding, allowing the scanning surface to adapt to the document's shape while maintaining contact and ensuring uniform scanning quality across all pages.
2Manufacturing precision
If a flatbed scanner with a slope is used to allow the binder to rest thereon for flattening the book, then clear scanning images can be generated, but the book has to be rotated by 180 degrees when scanning odd and even pages, resulting in different orientations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a movable support structure that can dynamically adjust its position and angle to follow the curvature of bound documents. The support structure includes movable arms or pads that can be positioned at different locations along the document binding, allowing the scanning surface to adapt to the document's shape while maintaining contact and ensuring uniform scanning quality across all pages.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an additional degree of freedom by allowing the support structure to move not only in height but also in lateral position. This enables the system to maintain a consistent scanning plane orientation while accommodating the varying thickness and curvature of bound documents, thereby eliminating the need to rotate the document for scanning different pages.
3Productivity
If a sheet-fed scanner is used to scan single-page documents, then automatic feeding is available, but scanning images have different orientations when documents are misplaced in improper orientation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates an automatic orientation detection and correction system that uses sensors or image processing algorithms to automatically detect the orientation of each scanned page. The system then automatically rotates or transforms the image to the correct orientation, eliminating the need for manual intervention and ensuring consistent orientation across all scanned documents regardless of how they were placed in the feeder.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device for aligning orientations of scanning images includes a scanning module, a storage module, an identification module, a timing unit, an alignment module, and a control unit. The control unit controls the scanning module to scan N scanned objects at different times and to store N scanning images corresponding to the N scanned objects into the storage module. The control unit controls the identification module to identify orientations of the N scanning images. The control unit controls the timing unit to calculate time intervals among the N scanning images. The control unit determines whether to control the alignment module to align orientations of a second scanning image to an Nth scanning image of the N scanning images with orientation of a first scanning image of the N scanning images according to the time intervals among the N scanning images calculated by the timing unit.