An embodiment of an integrated scanner apparatus, includes a support surface for objects to be scanned, a scanner unit to perform a scanning movement relative to the support surface to capture images of portions of objects to be scanned, and a printer unit carried by a carriage mobile with respect to said support surface, wherein said scanner unit is carried by said carriage carrying said printer unit to be imparted said scanning movement by said carriage.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An integrated scanner apparatus, including: a support surface for objects to be scanned; a scanner to perform a scanning movement relative to said support surface to capture images of portions of objects being scanned when in a capture scanning position; a printer carried by a carriage mobile with respect to said support surface; wherein said scanner is carried by said carriage mobile carrying said printer to be imparted said scanning movement by said carriage mobile; and wherein said scanner is selectively tiltable between a preview scanning position and the capture scanning position, the scanner configured to be automatically moved between the preview and capture scanning positions and to image a document to be scanned from a stationary position when in the preview scanning position.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said printer carried by said carriage mobile includes at least one ink reservoir.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the scanner has at least one capture window adapted to cover a portion of the objects to be scanned whereby during said scanning movement imparted by said carriage mobile said scanner produces a plurality of partial images of the objects to be scanned, and wherein a processor is provided to fuse said plurality of partial images into a complete image.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein: said carriage has associated a motion sensor providing a feedback signal representative of the position of said carriage mobile, said scanner unit is operable independently of said feedback signal, and said processor is configured to calculate scanner unit displacement parameters for use in fusing said partial images.
5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein: said carriage mobile has associated a motion sensor providing a feedback signal representative of the position of said carriage mobile and of said scanner unit carried by said carriage mobile; said processor is configured to receive said feedback signal and fuse said partial images as a function of said feedback signal.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the scanner has a plurality of capture windows which, during said scanning movement imparted to said scanner unit by said carriage mobile, produces respective sets of partial images of the objects to be scanned, and wherein a processor is provided to fuse said respective sets of partial images into a complete image.
7. A system, comprising: a transparent member having a structure to hold an object; a carriage transporter disposed adjacent to the member; a carriage coupled to the carriage transporter; and an image sensor coupled to the carriage that captures images of respective portions of the object while the carriage is in respective positions; and wherein the image sensor is automatically controllable to move between an image capture position and a preview position, and when in the preview position to capture a preview image of the entire object while the carriage transporter maintains the carriage in a stationary preview position.
8. The system of claim 7 wherein the transparent member includes a plate of glass.
9. The system of claim 7 wherein the carriage transporter includes: a travel member; a carriage support coupled to the travel member and to which the carriage is coupled; and a driver configured to move the carriage support along the travel member.
10. The system of claim 7 wherein the carriage transporter includes: a travel member; a carriage support coupled to the travel member and to which the carriage is coupled; and a driver configured to step the carriage support along the travel member.
11. The system of claim 7 , further comprising a carriage-position sensor.
12. The system of claim 7 , further comprising: a carriage-position sensor; and wherein the image sensor is configured to capture at least one of the respective images in response to the carriage-position sensor.
13. The system of claim 7 wherein the carriage transporter is configured to move the carriage in a direction during a period and in another direction during another period; and the image sensor is configured to capture a subset of the respective images during the period and to capture another subset of the respective images during the other period.
14. The system of claim 7 , further comprising a processor configured to generate from the respective images an image of the entire object.
15. The system of claim 7 , further comprising a printer coupled to the carriage and configured to impart a print material onto a print medium.
16. The system of claim 15 wherein: the print material includes ink; and the print medium includes paper.
17. A method, comprising: moving an image-capture unit including a scanner unit; capturing images of respective parts of an object with the image-capture unit when the scanner unit is in a first position relative to the object; generating an image of the object from the images of the parts of the object; maintaining the image-capture unit stationary; moving the scanner unit to a second position relative to the object; and capturing an image of the whole object while the image-capture unit is stationary and the scanner unit is in the second position.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein capturing the images includes capturing the images while the image-capture unit is moving.
19. The method of claim 17 wherein: moving the image-capture unit includes stepping the image-capture unit from location to location; and capturing the images includes capturing each of the images while the image-capture unit is at a respective location.
20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising moving a print unit while moving the image-capture unit.
21. The method of claim 17 wherein: moving the image-capture unit includes moving the image-capture unit in a direction during a period and in another direction during another period; capturing images of the respective parts of the object includes capturing a group of the images during the period and capturing another group of the images during the other period; and generating the image of the object includes generating the image from the groups of the images of the respective parts of the object.
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March 26, 2012
February 23, 2016
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