JP2530890B2 - Micro image processor - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a micro image processing apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art In a microreader having a printer function, that is, a so-called microreader printer, when a projection lens of an optical system, a microfilm, a film carrier, or the like is replaced, a focal position shifts and it becomes difficult to obtain a clear original image. Such a focus shift is not a serious problem in the reader mode in which the document image is projected on the screen, but it significantly occurs in the print mode in which the document image is printed. Therefore, in the current microreader printer, focus adjustment is usually performed before printing is started.

By the way, the micro-reader printer has a frame search function of searching for a desired frame from a large number of frames imaged on the microfilm, and the relationship with the focus adjustment function becomes a problem. That is, in the past, since the frame search is not performed even if the search button is pressed during focus adjustment, even if the need for frame search comes out during focus adjustment, wait until the focus adjustment is completed and search again. There was an operational complication that the button had to be pressed. in addition,
There are various types of original images printed on the microfilm, and the projection magnification is frequently changed every time a new original image is projected, and the focal length of the zoom lens is changed, the image is rotated, or the like. It was necessary to change the optical conditions, and the focus adjustment had to be redone accordingly. Therefore, the focus position adjusted before the search is often ineffective after the search, and in that case, there is a problem that the focus adjustment performed before the search becomes meaningless.

On the other hand, in order to deal with such a problem, it is conceivable that the focus adjustment and the search can be simultaneously performed, but in that case, the focus detection cannot be performed because the document image moves at high speed, or It will cause erroneous detection.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a micro image processing apparatus that can solve such problems extremely rationally. Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a micro film. An image pickup means for picking up an image of the original image received and an image on the image receiving surface in a focused state;
Focus adjustment means for adjusting the focus of the projection means, frame search means for positioning a desired frame of the microfilm in the optical path of the projection means in response to a search command, and during operation of the focus adjustment means. Control means for interrupting the operation of the focus detecting means and starting the operation of the frame searching means when the search command is input.
Further, in order to allow the user to visually check and print the explanatory image immediately after the frame search is completed, the invention according to claim 2 positions the desired frame of the microfilm in the optical path of the projection means by the frame search means. In this case, a second control means for controlling the focus adjustment means to automatically start operation is provided.

Example 1 FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a micro-reader printer as an embodiment of the present invention. The reader printer is for printing a light source for image irradiation or an image projected by the light source on a lower part 1 of a main body. It has a built-in printer. A print button B ₁ , a zoom button B ₂ , and an auto focus (hereinafter, referred to as AF) button are provided on the front of the lower body 1.
Predetermined operation buttons such as B ₃ are provided.

On the other hand, an optical system described later is built in the upper part 5 of the main body, and a screen 6 for projecting an image when the optical system is in the reader mode is provided on the front surface of the upper part. This screen 6
A film carrier loading space A is provided immediately below the space. In this example, a fish film carrier 7 having a frame search function is loaded in this space A. The fish film carrier 7 can be exchanged by pulling it in the front direction of the main body. Although not shown, the loading space A may be loaded with a roll film carrier. With the fish film carrier 7 loaded, a projection lens 8 forming a part of the projection optical path is mounted on the central upper surface thereof. Reference numeral 9 denotes a fish film insertion opening formed on the front surface of the carrier 7, and reference numeral 10 denotes a controller connected to the main body of the reader printer through a connection cord. The controller has a key for designating a frame number to be searched or a frame feed key. B ₄ … etc. are provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fish film carrier 7 has an XY carrier 12 and a film loading 13 inside a flat casing case 11. X
The -Y carrier 12 is a combination of an X-axis linear motor 14 and a Y-axis linear motor 15, and the movable table 16 is moved in any direction on the XY plane by both motors. This movable platform
Upper and lower 2 to hold fish film not shown in 16
A plurality of transparent film holders 17 and 18 are provided. X
The axis and Y axis linear motors 14 and 15 are moved by a search command from a control circuit described later, and the fish film held by the film buttons 17 and 18 is moved in an arbitrary direction to position the designated frame on the optical path. . The loading block 13 is arranged in the vicinity of the insertion port 9 and supplies the fish film inserted from the insertion port 9 between the film holders 17 and 18 or removes the fish film from between the film holders. , Has an unloading function. A plate 19 is provided on the outermost right end of the housing case 11, and when the carrier 7 is loaded in the loading space A in a normal state, the plate 19 is moved to the reader / printer main body side. Photo interrupter 20 provided
Into the detection groove 20a, and the loading of the carrier can be detected. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 21 is an optical path for irradiating the fish film with light from the light source.

The projection lens 8 mounted on the carrier 7 has a structure as shown in FIG. The illustrated lens 8 is a zoom lens having an auto-focus (hereinafter referred to as AF) gear 31 and a zoom gear 32 on its peripheral portion, and is loosely inserted in the lens receiving unit 33. A lens accommodating case 35 having a portion 34 corresponding to the optical path cut out is provided on the reader printer body side, and the lens receiving unit 33 is not slid on the bottom plate of the lens accommodating case 35 and is inserted in the direction of the arrow to form the lens Is loaded in the optical path portion 34. Although not shown, since the upper film holder 18 of the fish film carrier is located below the bottom plate of the case, the lens 8 is mounted on the film holder 18 in the loaded state as described above. Become. An optical switch 35 for detecting lens loading is provided on the right side wall of the housing case 35, and the lens 8
When the lens is loaded as described above, the detection piece 37 formed in a part of the lens receiving unit 33 is detected by the optical switch 36, and it is possible to confirm whether or not the lens is loaded. In the figure, 38 is an AF gear,
Numeral 39 denotes a zoom gear, which is attached to rotating shafts 44 and 45 connected to the motors 40 and 41 via timing levels 42 and 43, respectively. The gears 38 and 39 mesh with the corresponding gears 31 and 32 on the lens side when the lens 8 is loaded. The AF gear 38 is driven during focus adjustment according to a command from a control circuit described later. On the other hand, the zoom gear 39 is driven by operating a variable magnification key provided on the front surface of the reader printer body.

FIG. 14 shows a projection optical system inside the microreader printer. In the figure, 46 is a light source, 47 is a concave mirror, and 48a and 48b.
Is a condenser lens, and 49 is an illumination mirror. The light emitted from the light source 46 is applied to the fish film F sandwiched between the transparent film holders 17 and 18 via the condenser lens 48b. The light transmitted through the film F passes through the projection lens 8 and reaches the first mirror 51 that bends the optical path.
This mirror 51 is rotatable and the light reflected by it is selectively switched between two directions. In the first direction, a reader system optical path that is reflected by the half mirror 52 and reaches the screen 6, and a focus detection optical path that is transmitted through the half mirror 52 and passes through the second reflection mirror 53 and reaches the focus detector 54 are formed. . The second direction is the third mirror 55, the fourth mirror 56,
A printer system optical path is formed to reach the photoconductor drum 58 through the fifth mirror 57.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first mirror 51 is supported by a horizontal axis 59 at the center in the vertical direction. The horizontal axis 59 is connected to a swing mechanism such as a motor (not shown), and the optical path is switched between the two directions by swinging the mechanism. In a state where the mirror 51 is directed to the printer optical path, the mirror 51 is rotated at a predetermined speed, and the image scanning is performed.

As long as the focus detector 54 is a TTL (Through The Lens) system, it may be either a type that detects a focused state based on a contrast difference, a phase difference, or the like. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. , Half mirror 6 with 2/3 transmittance
It is composed of 1 and 1/2 half mirrors 62 and three two-dimensional CCDs 63a, b, c, and uses a configuration for detecting the in-focus state from the contrast difference. The light receiving surface of the CCD 63c is placed on the planned image forming surface of the projection lens 8 or the secondary image forming lens, and the light receiving surfaces of the CCD 63a and b are placed at a predetermined distance before and after the planned image forming surface. The detection operation of the focus detector 54 will be described later.

FIG. 7 shows a control circuit for controlling the operation of the micro reader printer. This circuit has two CPUs (AF CPU7
1, RP control CPU72) and ROM73,74, RAM connected to each CPU
75, 76, I / O ports 77 and 78, and input / output devices 79 to 88 connected to each I / O port. However, although only ten input / output devices are shown in the figure, other carrier control devices,
There are an exposure control device and the like. The focus detection mechanism 79 shown is CCD6
It is composed of a circuit for driving 3a to 3c and a circuit for sending a light receiving signal of the CCD to the I / O port. The lens moving mechanism 80 and the first mirror swinging mechanism 82 are composed of driving means such as a stepping motor and a circuit for detecting the positions of the lens and the mirror.
The printer control mechanism 83 includes a mechanism for operating a series of devices at a predetermined timing in order to print an image on the fish film using the photosensitive drum 58. The search state detection circuit 84 is a circuit for monitoring the movement of the film movement motors (the X-axis linear motor 14 and the Y-axis linear motor 15), and a search start signal is output when any one of the motors 14 and 15 starts moving and stops. And a search end signal. The lens replacement detection circuit 85 is a circuit for shaping and amplifying the detection signal of the optical switch 36 shown in FIG. 3, and the film carrier detection circuit 86 is a second circuit.
The circuit for shaping and amplifying the detection signal of the photointerrupter 20, the print button detection circuit 87, and the zoom button detection circuit 88 shown in the figure are circuits for detecting ON / OFF of a switch in conjunction with the print button and the zoom button, respectively.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the control circuit RP control CPU. First, when the power is turned on in a state where the film carrier 7 is loaded in the loading space A and the projection lens 8 is at the predetermined projection position, the flow is as follows.
It circulates from S1 → S2 → S3 → S4 → S5 → S6 → S1. If the AF button is pressed at this time, the flags F ₁ and F ₂ are reset (S7) A
An F start signal is transmitted to the AF CPU 71 (S8). Receiving this
The AF CPU starts focus adjustment. In parallel with this, the RP control CPU 72 detects the presence of the projection lens 8 by the optical switch 36 until the AF CPU finishes the focus adjustment (S9), and the photo interrupter 20 is loaded with the film carrier 7. Is detected (S10), the zoom button detection circuit detects that the zoom button is not pressed (S11), and the search state detection circuit detects that no film is being searched (S12). While confirming step S9 → S10 →
It cycles through S11 → S12 → S13 → S14 → S15 → S9. And AF
When the CPU 71 finishes the focus adjustment, it receives a signal to that effect from the CPU (S15), and proceeds to the next step S16. At this time, if the print button is not pressed again, flag F ₂
Remains reset, so that F ₁ = F ₂ = 0,
The flow returns from step S16 to S1, and S1 → S2 → S3 → S4 → S
Circulate between 5 → S6 → S1. When the print button is pressed during this circulation, the flow proceeds from S6 to S18 to perform a predetermined print operation. On the other hand, in the flow from S7 to S16, S
When the print button 13 is determined to have been depressed, the flag F ₂ is set to 1 at step S17,
Based on the determination result in step S16, the flow is step S
The process proceeds from S16 to S18 to perform a predetermined print operation.

On the other hand, if the projection lens 8 is replaced while the AF CPU 71 is performing focus adjustment, the focus position differs depending on the newly provided lens, and it is meaningless to continue the current focus adjustment operation any further. is there. Therefore, in this case, the flow proceeds from step S9 to S19, in which a focus adjustment stop signal is given to the AF CPU 71, and the focus adjustment operation is stopped. When a new lens is set (S20), the condition is that the film carrier exists in the predetermined space A (S2).
1) Start the focus adjustment operation again.

Even if the film carrier is changed from the one for fish film to the one for roll film during focusing as well as the replacement of the projection lens, it is meaningless to continue the existing focusing operation. is there. Therefore,
In that case, the flow proceeds to steps S10 to S22 to stop the focus adjustment. Then, when a new carrier is loaded (S23), the focus adjustment operation is restarted on condition that the fish film exists in the carrier (S24).

In addition, when the zoom button is pressed during the focus adjustment or when the search for the frame image is started, the focus adjustment is stopped for the same meaning as described above (S25, S26), and the zooming process and the search process are waited for. (S27, S28), the focus adjustment operation is restarted.

On the other hand, when the print button is pressed during the focus adjustment, the print is generally performed after the focus adjustment is completed, so the focus adjustment is stopped unlike the exchange of the lens and the carrier, the zoom button, and the like. On the contrary, after the focus adjustment is completed, printing is continuously performed. This operation is as described above. However, in this case, for example, when the original image does not exist on the film located in the projection optical path, the focus adjustment is impossible, so that the focus adjustment will not end forever. At that time, the flow proceeds from step S14 to step S29, sets the flag F ₁ that stores that focus adjustment is not possible, displays that effect at step S30, and proceeds from step S16 to step S1. Return to the focus adjustment standby state. The display in step S30 is canceled in step S31 the next time the AF button is pressed. Thus, in the above case, even if the print button is pressed, the storage is canceled and the print operation is not performed. However, focus adjustment standby state (circulation between S1 → S2 → S3 → S4 → S5 → S6 → S1)
When the print button is pressed during, the flow is step S1.
The process proceeds from 6 to S18, and a predetermined print operation is performed. In this case, since the operator gives a print instruction after knowing that the AF focus adjustment is impossible by the display, the print button is usually pressed after the focus adjustment is manually performed. .

The above operation is performed under the condition that the AF button is pressed, but it is not necessary to change the lens in the program even if the AF button is not pressed (S2 → S20 → S2
1) Focus adjustment is automatically performed when the carrier is replaced (S3 → S23 → S24), the zoom button is pressed (S4 → S27), and the film search ends (S5 → S28). It has become.

Next, the adjustment operation performed by the AF CPU will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining this operation. First, the first mirror 51 is oscillated so that the optical path of the focus detection system is formed, and each CCD 63a-c is set so that the substantially center of the screen equivalent surface S is the detection area as shown by E in FIG. After that, the light receiving outputs of all the pixels of the CCDs 63a to 63c are checked, and the maximum value Lmax and the minimum value Lmin are searched for, and the difference Cs
(S51) Cs = Lmax−Lmin (1) Here, the Cs value of the CCD 63a is Csa, and the Cs value of the CCD 63b is Csb, CC
Let the Cs value of D63c be Csc. The fact that any one of the Cs values is maximum means that an image is formed on the light receiving surface of the CCD that gives the maximum Cs value. Fig. 11 shows CC of focus detector 54
The relationship between D63a to D63c, focus, front focus, and rear focus is schematically shown. Also, FIG. 12 shows FIG. 11 (b),
The characteristics of the Cs value of each CCD in each state of (c) and (d) are drawn. From this figure, in the focused state of FIG. 11B, the Cs value of each CCD is Csc> Csa, Csa = Csb, and FIG.
It can be seen that Csa <Csb in the rear pin state and Csa> Csb in the front pin state in FIG. When the calculation of each Cs value is completed, the process proceeds to step S52, and each Cs value is compared with the minimum contrast Cmin with which the focus detector can determine a hint.
If all Cs values are smaller than Cmin, the process proceeds to step S53, where an AF impossible signal is issued.

On the other hand, if any Cs value is larger than Cmin, step S5
Proceed to 4 to determine whether an AF stop signal has been received. If the AF stop signal is received, stop the AF operation and return.
If not, the process proceeds to step S55, and the respective Cs values calculated in step S51 are compared. If Csa ≠ Csb, the process proceeds to step S5 to compare the sizes of Csa and Csb. If Csa> Csb, it is determined that the pin is a front pin, and if Csa <Csb, the pin is a rear pin. This determines the moving direction of the projection lens 8, and in step S57, A
The F CPU 71 reads out the preset distance information from the ROM and sends the signal to the lens moving mechanism 80 to move the projection lens 8 in the direction determined by the front pin or the rear pin.
The amount of lens movement at this time is smaller than the amount of lens movement performed in step S59 when Csa = Csb = Csc. When Csa ≠ Csb, the image is formed near the in-focus position,
This is because when Csa = Csb = Csc, it is considered that the image is formed at a position far away from the in-focus position.

When the movement is completed, Csa to Csc are calculated again (S58), A
After confirming that the F stop signal has not been received (S54),
The Cs values are compared (S55). Then, this operation is repeated until Csc> Csa and Csa = Csb in the focused state.

On the other hand, as a result of the comparison in step S55, Csa = Csb = C
In the case of sc, since the image forming position of the projection lens 8 is far from the screen equivalent surface, step
In step S59, the lens moving mechanism 80 is driven to move the projection lens 8 by a preset distance. Thereafter, each Cs value is calculated (S58) and compared (S55). Then, this operation is repeated until Csa ≠ Csb, and the same operation as described above is performed to adjust to the in-focus state. As described above, according to the present invention, a microreader having a printer function for printing an original image, a so-called Although the micro-reader printer has been described as an example, the present invention is not limited to such a micro-reader, and instead of the printer function, an image scanner function of reading a document image and outputting an image signal, etc. It is also applicable to a so-called micro reader scanner, which is a micro reader equipped with the image processing function.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, when a search command is issued during focus adjustment, focus adjustment is interrupted and frame search is preferentially performed. Therefore, if the operator performs an operation such as pressing a search button, the search is promptly performed without performing meaningless focus adjustment by the frame search.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the focus adjustment is automatically restarted after the frame search is completed, a clear image can be visually viewed on the screen or printed immediately after the frame search.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a micro reader printer as one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a carrier used for searching for a microfilm, and FIG. 3 is a projection lens and a housing portion thereof. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an optical path inside a micro reader printer, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a first mirror for bending the optical path, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a focus detector, FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a control circuit;
FIG. 8 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the control circuit, FIG. 9 is a flow chart for explaining the focus adjusting operation, FIG. 10 is a view showing the detection area of the focus detector on the screen equivalent plane, and FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing each state of the front pin and the rear pin, and FIG. 12 is an illuminance distribution diagram in each state of FIG. A ...... film carrier loading space, B ₁ ...... print button, B ₂ ...... zoom button, B ₃ ...... AF button, B ₄ ...... frame advance key (search button), 6 ...... screen, 7 ...... carrier , 8: Projection lens (focusing lens), 20: Photointerrupter (for carrier detection), 36: Optical switch (for lens detection), 71: AF CPU, 72: Control CPU.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. Projecting means for projecting an original image imaged on a microfilm onto an image receiving surface, and focus of the projecting means is adjusted so that the image is focused on the image receiving surface. Focus adjusting means, frame searching means for positioning a desired frame of the microfilm in the optical path of the projecting means in response to the search command, and the search command being input during operation of the focus adjusting means A control means for interrupting the operation of the focus detecting means and starting the operation of the frame searching means. 2. The micro image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: when the desired frame of the microfilm is positioned in the optical path of the projection means by the frame search means, the focus adjustment means is automatically operated. And a second control means for controlling to start the operation of the micro image processing apparatus.