Patent ID: 6140629
Filing Date: 2000-10-31
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
An image reading method in which light emitted from a light source and one of transmitted through and reflected by an original is converged and received by a solid-state image pickup element in a focal position of said light so as to read an original image;wherein said solid-state image pickup element is adjusted to an unsaturated dynamic range capable of reliably reading a minimum density area in said one of transmitted and reflected light by a range adjusting means, and the original image is read by said solid-state image pickup element in the adjusted dynamic range; anda single pixel having received an amount of light equal to or greater than a predetermined value is extracted from among light read and one of a transmitted and reflected image of the original image is again read by said solid-state image pickup element by reducing an amount of light received by the extracted pixel in the solid-state image pickup element by a predetermined amount.