Method and apparatus for reading and processing an image at a rate determined by the magnification to be applied to the image

• Main Authors: ICHIZUKA; AKIRA, KOWADA; KAZUTERU, HIDESHIMA; TAKAHIRO, TOJO; YU
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 15.08.2000
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USINGWAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FORPROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; CALCULATING; CINEMATOGRAPHY; COMPUTING; COUNTING; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; ELECTROGRAPHY; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS; HOLOGRAPHY; IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHYSICS; PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECOGNITION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS

An image is read by moving a line sensor relative to the image in a subsidiary scanning direction perpendicular to the direction of a pixels array of the line sensor. An image processor receives image signals from the sensor and produces an output image magnified relative to the image in accordance with a magnification ratio. The magnification ratio falls into one of n contiguous magnification ratio ranges between a reference magnification ratio and a minimum magnification ratio. The moving speed of the sensor relative to the image is set as a function of the magnification ratio such that, within each magnification ratio range i, for i=2 to n, the moving speed of the sensor decreases from a maximum speed at a lowest magnification ratio in the magnification ratio range to the maximum speed decreased by 1/i at a highest magnification ratio in the magnification ratio range, and, for i=1, the moving speed of the sensor decreases from the maximum speed at a lowest magnification ratio in the magnification ratio range to a reference speed at a highest magnification ratio in the magnification ratio range.