How Google's High Speed Book Scanner De-Warps Pages

Hugh Pickens writes "Patent 7,508,978, awarded to Google, shows how the company has already managed to scan more than 7 million books. Google's system uses two cameras and infrared light to automatically correct for the curvature of pages in a book. By constructing a 3D model of each page and then 'de-warping' it afterward, Google can present flat-looking pages online without having to slice books up or mash them onto a flatbed scanner. Stephen Shankland writes that the 'sophistication of the technology illustrates that would-be competitors who want to feature their own digitized libraries won't have a trivial time catching up to Google.' First, a book is placed on a flat surface, while above it, an infrared projector displays a special mazelike pattern onto the pages. Next, two infrared cameras photograph the infrared pattern from different perspectives. 'The images can be stereoscopically combined, using known stereoscopic techniques, to obtain a three-dimensional mapping of the pattern,' according to the patent. 'The pattern falls on the surface of (the) book, causing the three-dimensional mapping of the pattern to correspond to the three-dimensional surface of the page of the book.'"

Comments

Who is Hugh Pickens?

[QuantumRiff]

Anyone else wondering lately if anyone else is submitting stories? Or is this guy the next Roland?

Re:paper cut?

[Captain Splendid]

test post

Re:Playing Catch-up

[perryizgr8]

i have always wondered how some people seem to get BOTH preview and submit buttons. because i get only preview and after clicking it i get the submit button.

Re:Playing Catch-up

[petermgreen]

The seperate page post form allows direct submission (provided you aren't AC) but the inline ajax based box requires you to preview.