Device and method for controlling the scan speed of an image input terminal to match the throughput constraints of an image processing module

Claim 1

A system for Synchronously transferring video data representing a scanned image from an image input terminal to an image processing module, the image processing module having a throughput rate slower than a data generation rate of the image input terminal, comprising: input means for inputting a scanning parameter; control means for setting, prior to scanning an image, a scanline parameter N and a discard parameter D based on the received scanning parameter and a maximum image processing module throughput; image means, operatively connected to said control means, for scanning a predetermined portion of the image and for producing a set of N scanlines of valid image data therefrom, buffer means, operatively connected to said control means, for storing N-D scanlines of valid image data; and interface means, operatively connected to said buffer means, for outputting the stored scanlines of image data to the image processing module.

Claim 2

A system for Synchronously transferring video data representing a scanned image from an image input terminal to an image processing module, the image processing module having a throughput rate slower than a data generation rate of the image input terminal, comprising: input means for inputting a scanning parameter; control means for setting, prior to scanning an image, a scanline parameter N and a discard parameter D based on the received scanning parameter and a maximum image processing module throughput; image means, operatively connected to said control means, for scanning a predetermined portion of the image and for producing a set of N scanlines of valid image data therefrom, buffer means, operatively connected to said control means, for storing N-D scanlines of valid image data; and interface means, operatively connected to said buffer means, for outputting the stored scanlines of image data to the image processing module.

Claim 9

A method for synchronously transferring video data representing a scanned image from an image input terminal to an image processing module, the image processing module having a throughput rate slower than a data generation rate of the image input terminal, comprising the steps of: (a) inputting a scanning parameter; (b) setting, prior to scanning an image, a scanline parameter N and a discard parameter D based on the received scanning parameter and a maximum image processing module throughput; (c) scanning, after the execution of said step (b), a predetermined portion of the image, and for producing a set of N scanlines of valid image data therefrom; (d) storing N-D scanlines of valid image data; and (e) outputting the stored scanlines of image data to the image processing module.

Claim 10

A method for synchronously transferring video data representing a scanned image from an image input terminal to an image processing module, the image processing module having a throughput rate slower than a data generation rate of the image input terminal, comprising the steps of: (a) inputting a scanning parameter; (b) setting, prior to scanning an image, a scanline parameter N and a discard parameter D based on the received scanning parameter and a maximum image processing module throughput; (c) scanning, after the execution of said step (b), a predetermined portion of the image, and for producing a set of N scanlines of valid image data therefrom; (d) storing N-D scanlines of valid image data; and (e) outputting the stored scanlines of image data to the image processing module.

Claim 17

A system for synchronously transferring video data representing a scanned image from an image input terminal to an image processing module, the image processing module having a throughput rate slower than a data generation rate of the image input terminal, comprising: control means for setting, prior to scanning an entire image, an initial scanline parameter N and an initial discard parameter D; image means, operatively connected to said control means, for scanning a predetermined portion of the entire image and for producing a set of N scanlines of valid image data therefrom; buffer means, operatively connected to said control means, for storing N-D scanlines of valid image data; interface means, operatively connected to said buffer means, for outputting the stored scanlines of image data to the image processing module; image processing module interrupt means for producing an interrupt signal when an image data generation rate of the image input terminal exceeds an image throughput rate of the image processing module; said control means resetting the scanline parameter N and discard parameter D to new values and causing said imaging means to re-scan the entire image according to the newly set parameters in response to the interrupt signal from said image processing module interrupt means.

Claim 18

A system for synchronously transferring video data representing a scanned image from an image input terminal to an image processing module, the image processing module having a throughput rate slower than a data generation rate of the image input terminal, comprising: control means for setting, prior to scanning an entire image, an initial scanline parameter N and an initial discard parameter D; image means, operatively connected to said control means, for scanning a predetermined portion of the entire image and for producing a set of N scanlines of valid image data therefrom; buffer means, operatively connected to said control means, for storing N-D scanlines of valid image data; interface means, operatively connected to said buffer means, for outputting the stored scanlines of image data to the image processing module; image processing module interrupt means for producing an interrupt signal when an image data generation rate of the image input terminal exceeds an image throughput rate of the image processing module; said control means resetting the scanline parameter N and discard parameter D to new values and causing said imaging means to re-scan the entire image according to the newly set parameters in response to the interrupt signal from said image processing module interrupt means.