Timothy Robert Cardot

US Patent:

6831761, Dec 14, 2004

Filed:

Mar 30, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/822050

Inventors:

Timothy R. Cardot - Henrietta NY
Bruce A. Link - Rochester NY
Lawrence J. Bernstein - Honeoye Falls NY

Assignee:

Eastman Kodak Company - Rochester NY

International Classification:

H04N 146

US Classification:

358505, 358482, 358483, 358513, 358514, 358475, 2502081

Abstract:

A document scanner for producing any combination of color or grayscale or bi-tonal document images having a selectable range of resolutions is provided that maximizes image production speed by minimizing the processing required to produce the particular type of images selected. The scanner includes an imaging camera including a high-resolution grayscale CCD sensor in combination with lower resolution red, green, and blue CCD sensors. The scanner further includes an image processing circuit for processing data generated by the grayscale and color CCD sensors into any combination of color, grayscale, or bi-tonal document images having high or low resolution. High-resolution color images are produced by superimposing the high-resolution grayscale image generated by the grayscale sensor with the lower resolution color images generated by the color CCD sensors. The image processing circuit may also produce high or low resolution, color, grayscale or bi-tonal images when selected at respectively lower bandwidths. In all cases, image production speed is maximized by using only a minimum amount of processing required to generate the particular type and resolution of document image.

US Patent:

20020140995, Oct 3, 2002

Filed:

Mar 30, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/822099

Inventors:

Timothy Cardot - Henrietta NY, US
Thomas Ebert - Penfield NY, US

Assignee:

Eastman Kodak Company

International Classification:

H04N001/04

US Classification:

358/498000

Abstract:

A control system and method for an optical scanner of the type having a document feeding device for transporting documents to an optical scanning station is provided. The control system includes a plurality of buffer memories for temporarily storing optical data from documents processed through the scanning station, and a control circuit connected to the buffer memories and the document feeding device. The delivery rate of the document-feeding device is maximized to a level consistent with an estimated mode value of optical data present on the documents being scanned. When documents having higher than normal optical data cause the buffer memories to fill up faster then than they empty, the control circuit transmits a command to pause or slow down the delivery rate of the document feeding device upon a determination that a threshold capacity of any of the buffer memories has been exceeded or is about to be exceeded. By maximizing the delivery speed of the document-feeding device in accordance with the actual amount of optical data on the documents being scanned, throughput for a given processing bandwidth is maximized.