Portable document scan accessory for use with a wireless handheld communications device
View Patent ↗A scanning system includes a scanner accessory which is operationally supported by a wider-purpose wireless handheld communications device. The communications device may be a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular phone, a combined PDA/cellular phone, or a similar device that enables wireless communications. The scanner accessory is adapted for freehand scanning and includes an image sensor, at least one navigator, and data transfer circuitry that is compatible with exchanging information with the communications device, including outgoing captured image information and incoming scan control information for controlling scanning operations by the scan accessory. Simultaneous with capturing image information by the image sensor, the navigator tracks the position of the image sensor relative to a document being scanned, so that the image information can be “position-tagged” to form an electronic image for display at the communications device. Alternatively, the scanning capability can be integrated into the wireless handheld communications device.
1. A scanner accessory which is operationally supported by selectively linking said scanner accessory to a wireless handheld communications device having a user interface and having scan control programming, said scanner accessory comprising:
an image sensor enabled to capture image information that is specific to a surface of interest;
a navigator enabled to generate navigation information that is dependent upon positions of said image sensor relative to said surface of interest; and
data transfer circuitry compatible with exchanging information with said wireless handheld communications device, including outgoing captured image information for display and including incoming scan control information that is specific to controlling scanning operations, said scanner accessory thereby being responsive to said wireless handheld communications device with respect to scan control commands and with respect to data specific to controlling scanning operations.
2. The scanner accessory of claim 1 further comprising a housing said image sensor and navigator being connected to said housing, said housing being separate from a display capability such that said image sensor is dependent upon a display of said wireless handheld communications device for presenting said captured image information.
3. The scanner accessory of claim 1 wherein said image sensor includes a linear array of optoeleotronic elements and wherein said navigator includes at least one two-dimensional array of optoelectronic elements.
4. The scanner accessory of claim 3 wherein said navigator has an optical resolution to image structural features of a document having said surface of interest, thereby enabling images of said structural features to be used as said navigational information.
5. The scanner accessory of claim 1 further comprising an image processor connected to said image sensor and said navigator to receive said image information and said navigation information, said image processor being configured to correlate said image and navigation information to generate a reconstructed digital image from said image information.
6. The scanner accessory of claim 5 wherein said image processor has inputs from said image sensor and said navigator, said image processor having an output connected to said data transfer circuitry.
7. The scanner accessory of claim 5 wherein said image processor is responsive to commands received from said wireless handheld communications device via said data transfer circuitry, said commands including a start-scan command.
8. The scanner accessory of claim 6 wherein said image processor is configured to generate an image file that is representative of an image of said surface of interest.
9. The scanner accessory of claim 1 wherein said data transfer circuitry is configured to communicate with a personal digital assistant (PDA).
10. The scanner accessory of claim 1 wherein said data transfer circuitry is configured to communicate with a cellular telephone.