US20220067318A1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US20220067318A1
Application number: US17/372,429
Authority: US
Inventors: Hin Leong Tan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2020-08-26
Filing date: 2021-07-10
Publication date: 2022-03-03
Also published as: US11068677B1

Abstract

A card reader, includes card reader housing, a camera mounted on the card reader housing and a document input tray supported by the card reader housing. A light source is oriented to provide indirect light to the document when the document is within the document input tray. A direct light barrier shields the document from receiving direct light from the light source. A controller instructs the camera to capture an image of the document.

Description

BACKGROUND

Card readers are used to efficiently scan in data from cards such as business cards, driver's licenses, insurance identification cards and other forms of identification cards. The scanners can be simplex card scanners or duplex card scanners. Examples of current card scanners are the BCR901 Simplex Card Scanner and the DX1210 Duplex Card Scanner both currently available from Card Reader Inc, on the website www.bizcardreader.com

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified cross-sectional view of a card reader.

FIG. 2 illustrates the impact of capturing an image reflected from a mirror.

FIG. 3 shows a document input tray receiving a document.

FIG. 4 shows a document input tray modified with a cut-out region.

FIG. 5 is a simplified cross-sectional side view of the card reader shown inFIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a simplified cross-sectional front view of the card reader shown inFIG. 1.

FIG. 7 shows implementation of a camera used by the card reader shown inFIG. 1.

FIG. 8 shows the card reader shown inFIG. 1 mounted on a support.

FIG. 9 shows a simplified side view of a card reader that holds a document input tray at an angle that simplifies placement and removal of a document.

FIG. 10 shows a simplified front view of the card reader shown inFIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a simplified flow chart describing a process of capturing a single document image.

FIG. 12 is a simplified flow chart describing a process of automatically capturing document images.

FIG. 13 shows an alternative implementation of a card reader.

FIG. 14 shows another alternative implementation of a card reader.

FIG. 15. andFIG. 16 shows another alternative implementation of a card reader.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a simplified cross-sectional view of acard reader19 that includes acamera13, amirror12 and adocument input tray11. Adocument10 is placed ondocument input tray11 allowingcamera13 to capture an image of an upward facing surface ofdocument10. For example,document10 is a card such as a business card, a driver's license, an insurance identification card or another form of identification card.Document10, for example, may be laminated or otherwise coated to aid in preserving information displayed bydocument10.

For example,mirror12 is a front surface mirror (also known as a first surface mirror) where light reflects of the front surface of mirror glass, rather than reflecting off the back surface of the glass. For example,mirror12 has silver coated on the front surface ofmirror12 to cause light to reflect from the front surface of the mirror glass.

Placement and orientation ofcamera13 is chosen to capture light fromdocument10 as reflected bymirror12.

FIG. 2 illustrates the impact of capturing an image reflected frommirror12. Simplifiedimage21 represents orientation of an image captured directly from a document.Simplified image22 represents orientation of an image captured from a document after the image is reflected bymirror12. Simplifiedimage23 represents orientation of an image captured from a document after the image is reflected bymirror12 and then corrected by transformation software to restore the original orientation.Illustration24 provides a visual illustration of the mirror transformation performed physically bymirror12, and then inversely performed by transformation software.

FIG. 3 showsdocument input tray11 receivingdocument10.Document input tray11 may be detachable fromcard reader19, or may be fixed to the housing ofcard reader19. For example,document input tray11 is black in order to provide a contrasting background todocument10. The contrasting background makes it easier to detect the boundaries ofdocument10 and crop out the background. For very dark input cards (which are exceptions), a fixed sized image can be extracted that encompasses the image of the document.

FIG. 4 showsdocument input tray11 modified with a cut out42 that facilitates a user holding an edge ofdocument10 with a thumb and forefinger while placingdocument10 indocument input tray11 and removingdocument10 fromdocument input tray11.

FIG. 5 is a simplified cross-sectional side view ofcard reader19 that showscamera13,mirror12 anddocument input tray11. Also shown iscard reader housing53, adocument sensor51 and aglass barrier52 placed betweenmirror12 anddocument input tray11.Glass barrier52 is used to isolatecamera13 andmirror12 from external elements such as dirt and dust that may otherwise contaminate the lens ofcamera13 andmirror surface12. For example,glass barrier52, is composed of glass that has an anti-reflective coating on one or both sides to reduce the amount of surface reflection that can produce glare on a captured image.

FIG. 6 is a simplified cross-sectional front view ofcard reader19 that showscamera13,mirror12,document input tray11,card reader housing53,document sensor51 andglass barrier52.FIG. 5 also shows a light emitting diode (LED)light source61 and anLED light source62 added to provide indirect lighting fordocument10. Alight shield63 is located belowLED light source61 and alight shield64 is located belowLED light source62 to prevent direct lighting ofdocument10 that could cause reflective glare spots in a captured image. For example, aninterior surface65 ofcard reader housing53 is coated with non-gloss matte white material or paint to better allow diffused illumination ofdocument10 primarily by reflection of light fromLED light source61 andLED light source62. Diffused lighting from LED light sources reflected off an interior matte surface of housing, light shields, anti-reflective glass coating on the glass barrier and a lens hood on the camera can all be used to reduce glare on a captured image ofdocument10.

FIG. 7 shows an example implementation ofcamera13.Camera13 is composed of, for example, animage sensor71 mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB)72 under alens73. Alens hood74 may be placed aroundlens73 to reduce glare of a captured image. For example,camera13 is micro camera similar to those used in a smart phone. Such cameras are very small yet with sufficient resolution for high resolution image. For example,lens73 is a high precision wide angle low-distortion lens mounted on PCB72. For example PCB72 includes a USB interface to a computing device which receives the image. Alternatively or in addition, PCB72 includes a wireless interface such as an interface implemented using Bluetooth wireless technology to transfer images captured bycamera13 to a computing device.

Alternatively, or in addition, a captured image can be stored in a memory, such as a flash card memory, integrated as part ofcard reader19.

FIG. 8 showscard reader19 mounted on asupport81 that holdscard reader housing53 anddocument input tray11 at an angle that simplifies placement ofdocument10 intodocument input tray11 and removal ofdocument10 fromdocument input tray11. For example,document input tray11 is inclined at about 45 degrees to horizontal.

The implementation of card reader shown inFIG. 8 is compact. Insertion ofdocument10 intodocument input tray11 is gravity aided asdocument input tray11 is held bycard reader housing53 at an inclined angle sufficiently steep so that whendocument10 is placed into a front ofdocument input tray11,document10 will tend to slide to a back ofdocument input tray11 and rest against a back wall of thedocument input tray11.Document10 sliding down into position withindocument input tray11 provides for automatic alignment ofdocument10 to flat edge ofdocument input tray11 minimizing document skew when scanning. Cut out42, shown inFIG. 4, makes for easy extraction ofdocument10 fromdocument input tray11. There is no need for moving parts such as a motor to drive an automated feed or any motion mechanism to perform image capture, that can wear out over time.

WhileFIG. 8 shows aseparate support81, the support can be integrated into the card reader housing. For example,FIG. 9 shows a simplified side view of acard reader90 wherecard reader housing91 holds adocument input tray92 at an angle that simplifies placement ofdocument10 intodocument input tray92 and removal ofdocument10 fromdocument input tray92. For example, documentinput tray92 is inclined at about 45 degrees to horizontal.

FIG. 10 shows a simplified front view of acard reader90 withcard reader housing91 anddocument input tray92.

FIG. 11 is a simplified flow chart describing a process performed by a controller that captures a single document image. For example, the controller is implemented completely by components and firmware onPCB72. Alternatively, the controller is implemented in a distributive manner with part of the functionality performed by components and firmware onPCB72 and part of the functionality (e.g., the cropping) performed by a separate computing device as pointed out below.

In ablock100, the process starts. In ablock110 camera settings are initialized. For example, the camera settings include brightness, contrast, exposure, and so on.

In ablock120 and ablock130, the process waits for a processing input that triggers an image capture process. Inblock120, the processing input that triggers the image capture process is a document detected bydocument sensor51. For example, ifdocument10 is ondocument input tray11, the document sensor status ofdocument sensor51 is “ON” which indicates that a document is detected. Conversely if no document is ondocument input tray11, the document sensor status ofdocument sensor51 is “OFF” which indicates that there is no document ondocument input tray11.

Inblock130, the processing input that triggers the image capture process is a scan button pressed by a user. For example the scan button (not shown) activates an image capture whenever the scan button is pressed. The scan button serves as an override to the document sensor. If for somereason document sensor51 does not detectdocument10 ondocument input tray11, the scan button can be used to immediately activate the image capture process. Some document sensors may not respond to specific card material, so a scan button override can be useful.

Fromblock120 or block130, when a processing input that triggers an image capture process is detected, in ablock140,LED light source61 andLED light source62 are turned on. In ablock150,camera13 captures an image ofdocument10. In ablock160,LED light source61 andLED light source62 are turned off. In ablock170, a mirror transform is performed. For example, the mirror transform can be performed bycamera13 whencamera13 captures the image ofdocument10. In this case, the mirror transform is integrated intoblock150. Alternatively, the mirror transform can be performed separately as a processing stage immediately after the image capture as shown inblock170. Alternatively, the mirror transform can be performed separately by a computing device after the image is transferred to the computing device in ablock180.

In block,180 the captured image is transferred to the computing device. In ablock190, the captured image is cropped to remove the black background. In ablock195, the process is complete. While in the sequence shown inFIG. 11, the captured image is cropped by the computing device that receives the captured image, in an alternative embodiment, the cropping can be performed by a controller implemented onPCB72 before being transferred to the computing device.

FIG. 12 is a simplified flow chart describing a process of automatically capturing document images. In ablock200, the process starts. In ablock210 camera settings are initialized. For example, the camera settings include brightness, contrast, exposure, and so on.

In ablock220 and ablock230, the process waits for a processing input that triggers an image capture process. Inblock220, the processing input that triggers the image capture process is a document detected bydocument sensor51. For example, ifdocument10 is ondocument input tray11, the document sensor status ofdocument sensor51 is “ON” which indicates that a document is detected. Conversely if no document is ondocument input tray11, the document sensor status ofdocument sensor51 is “OFF” which indicates that there is no document ondocument input tray11.

Inblock230, the processing input that triggers the image capture process is a scan button pressed by a user. For example the scan button (not shown) activates an image capture whenever the scan button is pressed. The scan button serves as an override to the document sensor. If for somereason document sensor51 does not detectdocument10 ondocument input tray11, the scan button can be used to immediately activate the image capture process. Some document sensors may not respond to specific card material, so a scan button override can be useful.

Fromblock220 or block230, when a processing input that triggers an image capture process is detected, in ablock240,LED light source61 andLED light source62 are turned on,camera13 captures an image of thedocument10,LED light source61 andLED light source62 are turned off, the mirror transform is performed, the captured image is transferred to the computing device and, the captured image is cropped to remove the black background.

In ablock250 and ablock260, the process waits for either the removal of the document that has been scanned atblock240, or for the trigger from the scan button. Inblock250, if a document is detected, it indicates that the previous document which has been captured atblock240 has not been removed. Processing continues atblock260 which checks if the scan button has been pressed. If the scan button is not pressed, processing repeats atblock250 until the document is removed. When the document is removed, processing jumps to block220, and waits for the insertion of the next document to initiate the scanning of the next image. Inblock260, if the button is pressed, it will continue atblock240 which will immediately activate the image capture process.Block260 effectively causes the same document to be captured again even if captured document is not removed.

FIG. 13 shows acard reader300 that includes acamera313, adocument input tray311 andcard reader housing353. Aglass barrier352 is used to isolatecamera313 from external elements such as dirt and dust that may otherwise contaminate the lens ofcamera313. For example,glass barrier352, is composed of glass that has anti-reflective coated on one or both sides to reduce the amount of surface reflection that can produce glare on a captured image.

AnLED light source361 and anLED light source362 are added to provide indirect lighting for illuminating a document placed ondocument input tray311. Alight shield363 is located belowLED light source361 and alight shield364 is located belowLED light source362 to prevent direct lighting of the document that could cause reflective glare spots in a captured image. For example, aninterior surface365 ofcard reader housing353 is coated with non-gloss matte white material or paint to better allow diffused illumination of the document primarily by reflection of light fromLED light source361 andLED light source362. Alens hood374 is placedcamera313 to reduce glare of a captured image.

Card reader

300 is mounted on asupport381 that holdscard reader housing353 and documentinput tray311 at an angle that simplifies placement of a document intodocument input tray311 and removal of the document fromdocument input tray311.

FIG. 14 shows acard reader400 that includes acamera413, adocument input tray411 andcard reader housing453. Aglass barrier452 is used to isolatecamera413 from external elements such as dirt and dust that may otherwise contaminate the lens ofcamera413. For example,glass barrier452 is composed of glass that has anti-reflective coated on one or both sides to reduce the amount of surface reflection that can produce glare on a captured image.

AnLED light source461 and anLED light source462 are added to provide indirect lighting for illuminating a document placed ondocument input tray411. Alight diffuser463 is located belowLED light source461 and alight diffuser464 is located belowLED light source462 to diffuse light fromLED light source461 andLED light source462.Diffuser463 anddiffuser464 mitigate reflective bright spots on a captured image due to the reflection of LED light off the document surface. Such reflective bright spots can be especially pronounced if the document is composed of reflective material such as a plastic card with a glossy surface.

Card reader

400 is mounted on asupport481 that holdscard reader housing453 and documentinput tray411 at an angle that simplifies placement of a document intodocument input tray411 and removal of the document fromdocument input tray411.

FIG. 15 shows a simplified side view andFIG. 16 shows a simplified front view of acard reader500 that includes acamera513, amirror512 andcard reader housing553. Aglass top552 is used to isolatecamera513 and mirror512 from external elements such as dirt and dust. For example,glass top552, is composed of glass that has anti-reflective coated on one or both sides to reduce the amount of surface reflection that can produce glare on a captured image.

AnLED light source561 and anLED light source562 are added to provide indirect lighting for illuminating a document placed onglass top552. Alight shield563 is located belowLED light source561 and alight shield564 is located belowLED light source562 to prevent direct lighting of the document that could cause reflective glare spots in a captured image. For example, an interior surface ofcard reader housing553 can be coated with non-gloss matte white material or paint to better allow diffused illumination of the document primarily by reflection of light fromLED light source561 andLED light source562. A lens hood is placed oncamera513 to reduce glare of a captured image. Ahinge502 is used to swing and hold adocument lid501 in place.

While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.

Claims

1. A card reader, comprising:

card reader housing, the card reader housing having an interior surface;

a camera mounted on the card reader housing;

a card input tray supported by the card reader housing, the card input tray providing automated alignment of a card by being at an inclined angle sufficiently steep so that when the card is placed into a front of the card input tray, the card will tend to slide to a back of the card input tray and rest against a back wall of the card input tray, the back wall aligning the card to minimize document skew when scanning; and

a light source oriented to provides indirect light that illuminates the card when the card is within the card input tray.

2. A card reader as inclaim 1, wherein the light source directs light toward the interior surface of the card reader housing.

3. A card reader as inclaim 1, additionally comprises a mirror oriented to reflect light from the card to the camera.

4. A card reader as inclaim 1, wherein a bottom of the card input tray includes a cut-out region that goes all the way through the bottom of the card input tray so that the cut-out region exposes a portion of a bottom surface of the card and allows the portion of the bottom surface of the card and a corresponding top surface portion of the card to be grasped by a thumb and forefinger of a user for removal of the card from the input tray.

5. A card reader as inclaim 1, wherein a separate support structure supports the card reading housing so that the card input tray is at the inclined angle.

6. A card reader as inclaim 1, wherein a support structure is integrated into the card reading housing so that the card input tray is at the inclined angle.

7. A card reader as inclaim 1, wherein a support structure is integrated into the card reading housing so that the card input tray is at the inclined angle, and wherein a bottom of the card input tray includes a cut-out region that goes all the way through the bottom of the card input tray so that the cut-out region exposes a portion of a bottom surface of the card and allows the portion of the bottom surface of the card and a corresponding top surface portion of the card to be grasped by a thumb and forefinger of a user for removal of the card from the input tray.

8. A card reader as inclaim 1, wherein a separate support structure supports the card reading housing so that the card input tray is at the inclined angle, and wherein a bottom of the card input tray includes a cut-out region that goes all the way through the bottom of the card input tray so that the cut-out region exposes a portion of a bottom surface of the card and allows the portion of the bottom surface of the card and a corresponding top surface portion of the card to be grasped by a thumb and forefinger of a user for removal of the card from the input tray.

9. A card reader as inclaim 1, wherein the controller crops the captured image to remove or filter from the captured image background captured along with the card.

10. A card reader, comprising:

card reader housing, the card reader housing having an interior surface;

a camera mounted on the card reader housing;

a card input tray supported by the card reader housing, a bottom of the card input tray including a cut-out region that goes all the way through the bottom of the card input tray so that the cut-out region exposes a portion of a bottom surface of a card and allows the portion of the bottom surface of the card and a corresponding top surface portion of the card to be grasped by a thumb and forefinger of the user for removal of the card from the input tray; and

a light source oriented to direct light away from the card and toward the interior surface of the card reader housing so that illumination of the interior surface provides indirect light to the card when the card is within the card input tray.

11. A card reader as inclaim 10, additionally comprises a mirror oriented to reflect light from the card to the camera.

12. A card reader as inclaim 10, wherein a separate support structure supports the card reading housing at an inclined angle sufficiently steep so that a card placed into a front of the card input tray will tend to slide to a back of the card input tray and rest against a back wall of the card input tray, the back wall aligning the card to minimize document skew when scanning.

13. A card reader as inclaim 10, wherein a support structure is integrated into the card reading housing so that the card input tray is at an inclined angle sufficiently steep so that a card placed into a front of the card input tray will tend to slide to a back of the card input tray and rest against a back wall of the card input tray.

14. A card reader as inclaim 10, wherein a sensor detects when the card is on the card input tray.

15. A card reader as inclaim 10, wherein the controller crops the captured image to remove or filter from the captured image background captured along with the card.

16. A card reader, comprising:

card reader housing;

a camera mounted on the card reader housing;

a card input tray supported by the card reader housing, a bottom of a card input tray including a cut-out region that goes all the way through the bottom of the card input tray so that the cut-out region exposes a portion of a bottom surface of the card and allows the portion of the bottom surface of the card and a corresponding top surface portion of the card to be grasped by a thumb and forefinger of the user for removal of the card from the input tray, wherein the card input tray provides automated alignment of the card by being at an inclined angle sufficiently steep so that when the card is placed into a front of the card input tray, the card will tend to slide to a back of the card input tray and rest against a back wall of the card input tray, the back wall aligning the card to minimize document skew when scanning; and

a light source oriented to provide light to the card through a diffuser when the card is within the card input tray.

17. A card reader as inclaim 16, wherein the light source comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes.

18. A card reader as inclaim 16, additionally comprises a mirror oriented to reflect light from the card to the camera.

19. A card reader as inclaim 16, wherein a separate support structure supports the card reading housing so that the card input tray is at the inclined angle.

20. A card reader as inclaim 16, wherein a support structure is integrated into the card reading housing so that the card input tray is at the inclined angle.