Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
188 words
In a color image sensor for reading a color document including a plurality of light sources for emitting light of respective different colors onto said document and a sensor array comprising a plurality of sensor elements for receiving light reflected by said document, the improvement comprising: means for successively directing light of the respective colors from said plurality of light sources onto said document in a repeating sequence for each line of the document; means for driving said sensor array for successively activating said plurality of sensor elements in synchronization with the emission of the respective different colors to directly produce a series of output signals as each line of the document is illuminated by light from the plurality of light sources; and means for reading out said series of output signals from said sensor array in synchronization with the emission of the light of the different colors on a real time basis which, for each line of the document as it is scanned, produces a readout signal which is comprised of a repeating pattern of outputs matched to the pattern of colors that are being sequentially scanned.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
188 words
In a color image sensor for reading a color document including a plurality of light sources for emitting light of respective different colors onto said document and a sensor array comprising a plurality of sensor elements for receiving light reflected by said document, the improvement comprising: means for successively directing light of the respective colors from said plurality of light sources onto said document in a repeating sequence for each line of the document; means for driving said sensor array for successively activating said plurality of sensor elements in synchronization with the emission of the respective different colors to directly produce a series of output signals as each line of the document is illuminated by light from the plurality of light sources; and means for reading out said series of output signals from said sensor array in synchronization with the emission of the light of the different colors on a real time basis which, for each line of the document as it is scanned, produces a readout signal which is comprised of a repeating pattern of outputs matched to the pattern of colors that are being sequentially scanned.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The image sensor device of claim 1 wherein said light emitting means comprises a red light source and a green light source.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
The image sensor device of claim 1 wherein said light emitting means comprises a red light source, a green light source, and a blue light source.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
The image sensor device of claim 1 wherein said plurality of image sensors are thin film transistors.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
44 words
The image sensor device of claim 4 wherein gate electrodes of said thin film transistors function to turn on and off current of said plurality of image sensors in accordance with an application of a voltage to said gate electrodes from said driving means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
The image sensor device of claim 1 wherein said plurality of image sensors are amorphous silicon photoconductors.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
The image sensor of claim 1 further comprising a self-focusing lens adjacent to said sensor array in order to focus the light reflected on said document onto said sensor array.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
14 words
The image sensor of claim 1 wherein said sensor is a contact-type image sensor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
38 words
The image sensor of claim 1 further comprising a means for compensating said series of output signals in accordance with an intensity of the emission of the respective different colors and the spectral sensitivity of the sensor elements.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
The image sensor of claim 1 further comprising a means for dividing said series of output signals into a plurality of signals for the respective different colors.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
17 words
The image sensor of claim 10 further comprising an amplifier for amplifying said series of output signals.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
17 words
The image sensor device of claim 10 wherein said means for dividing is a sample hold circuit.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
The image sensor device of claim 1, wherein said means for reading out said series of output signals directly reads said series without the interposition of a memory storage device.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
The image sensor device of claim 1, wherein the synchronous operation of said light directing means and said driving means occurs on a line by line basis on said document.