WO2014005085A1

WO2014005085A1 - Systems for capturing images of a document

Info

Publication number: WO2014005085A1
Application number: PCT/US2013/048704
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ronald Bruce Blair
Original assignee: De La Rue North America Inc.
Priority date: 2012-06-29
Filing date: 2013-06-28
Publication date: 2014-01-03

Abstract

Systems and methods are presented for capturing images of sophisticated documents in order to identify, verify, determine fitness, or other process. The systems and methods involve using an electromagnetic source to cause electromagnetic radiation to come off or through the document and at least eventually to an electromagnetic selector that isolates at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation into at least two segments having different wavelengths on an electromagnetic spectrum. The at least two segments are captured using a plurality of sensors. The captured segments may be used to process the document. Other systems and methods are disclosed.

Description

SYSTEMS FOR CAPTURING IMAGES OF A DOCUMENT

FIELD

The illustrative embodiments relate generally to processing sophisticated documents, e.g., currency, and more particularly, the illustrative embodiments relate to systems and methods for capturing images of a document using an electromagnetic selector.

BACKGROUND

In processing sophisticated documents, such as currency, checks, money orders, travelers' checks, bonds, or stock certificates, there is a need to learn information about the documents. The information may be used to validate or verify the document, identify the particular document, or determine the fitness of the document.

SUMMARY

According to an illustrative embodiment, a system for capturing images of a document includes a first electromagnetic source for illuminating at least a portion of the document with

electromagnetic radiation, a conveyor for causing relative movement between the document and the first electromagnetic source, and an electromagnetic selector for isolating at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation into at least two segments having different wavelengths on an electromagnetic spectrum. The system further includes a plurality of sensors for recording electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic selector is disposed between the document and the plurality of sensors. At least two of the plurality of sensors are configured to record the at least two segments of electromagnetic radiation emanating from the electromagnetic selector. The system also includes one or more memories for storing data or instructions and one or more processors associated with the one or more memories. The one or more memories and one or more processors are coupled to the plurality of sensors for receiving the different aspects of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum.

According to another illustrative embodiment, a method of capturing an image of a document includes projecting electromagnetic radiation from a first electromagnetic source on to the document so that at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation reflects off a surface of the document; moving the document relative to the first electromagnetic source; passing at least a portion of the reflected portion of the electromagnetic radiation through an electromagnetic selector to isolate at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation into at least two segments having different wavelengths on an electromagnetic spectrum; and using a plurality of sensors to record the at least two segments of electromagnetic radiation.

According to another illustrative embodiment a method of manufacturing a system for capturing images of a document includes providing a first electromagnetic source for illuminating at least a portion of the document with electromagnetic radiation; providing a conveyor for causing relative movement between the document and the first electromagnetic source; providing a plurality of sensors for recording electromagnetic radiation; positioning an electromagnetic selector between the document and the plurality of sensors. The electromagnetic selector is for isolating at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation into at least two segments having different wavelengths on an electromagnetic spectrum. At least two of the plurality of sensors are configured to record the at least two segments of electromagnetic radiation emanating from electromagnetic selector. The method further includes providing one or more memories for storing data or instructions and providing one or more processors associated with the one or more memories. The method also includes coupling the one or more memories and one or more processors to the plurality of sensors for receiving the different aspects of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum.

Other features and advantages of the illustrative embodiments will become apparent with reference to the drawings and detailed description that follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGURE 1 is a schematic, plan view of a document image capturing system according to an illustrative embodiment;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic, perspective view of a plurality of sensors according to an illustrative embodiment; FIGURE 3 is a schematic, pictorial representation of three images captured by the document image capturing system according to an illustrative embodiment;

FIGURE 4 is a schematic, plan view of a document image capturing system according to another illustrative embodiment; FIGURE 5 is a schematic, plan view of a document image capturing system according to another illustrative embodiment; and

FIGURE 6 is a schematic, plan view of a document image capturing system according to another illustrative embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS In the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical structural, mechanical, electrical, and chemical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. To avoid detail not necessary to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments described herein, the description may omit certain information known to those skilled in the art. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the illustrative embodiments are defined only by the appended claims.

In the drawings and description that follow, like parts are typically marked throughout the specification and drawings with the same reference numerals, respectively. The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale. Certain features of the invention may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form and some details of conventional elements may not be shown in the interest of clarity and conciseness.

Unless otherwise specified, any use of any form of the terms "connect," "engage," "couple," "attach," or any other term describing an interaction between elements is not meant to limit the interaction to direct interaction between the elements and may also include indirect interaction between the elements described. In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms "including" and "comprising" are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean "including, but not limited to . . . ". Unless otherwise indicated, as used throughout this document, "or" does not require mutual exclusivity.

Referring now primarily to FIGURES 1-3, an illustrative embodiment of a document image capturing system 100 includes a first electromagnetic radiation source 102, or electromagnetic source, positioned to emit electromagnetic radiation towards a document 104. The system 100 creates relative movement between the first electromagnetic radiation source 102 and the document 104. The relative movement may be caused by moving the first electromagnetic source 102 on a conveyor or other system or by moving the document 104 in the direction 106 on a conveyor or document guide 107 or some combination.

The path of at least some of the electromagnetic radiation is approximated using dotted lines. The electromagnetic radiation typically goes from the electromagnetic source 102 to the document 104 and is reflected, at least in part, towards an electromagnetic selector 109. The electromagnetic radiation emitted from the electromagnetic radiation source 102 may be broadband electromagnetic radiation or electromagnetic radiation capable of being dispersed into component frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. For example, the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the electromagnetic radiation source 102 may be white electromagnetic radiation, some combination of visible electromagnetic radiation and non- visible electromagnetic radiation (ultraviolet, infrared, etc.), some combination of visible electromagnetic radiation, or some combination of non-visible electromagnetic radiation.

The electromagnetic radiation emitted from the electromagnetic radiation source 102 reflects off of an illuminated portion of the document 104. The illuminated portion of the document 104 may extend laterally across the document 104, or substantially perpendicular to the direction of the document's motion, from one edge of the document 104 to the other. In one non-limiting example, the illuminated portion approximates the shape of a line, column, or other shape that extends laterally across the document 104. Other illumination patterns may be used.

After reflecting off of the illuminated portion of the document 104, the reflected electromagnetic radiation may move through one or more lenses 108 that focus the reflected electromagnetic radiation towards the electromagnetic selector 109, e.g., a prism 110 or filters (see FIG. 4). A prism is generally an optical device for separating aspects of the electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic selector 109 is for isolating at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation into at least two segments having different wavelengths on an electromagnetic spectrum. For example, the prism 110 may disperse the incoming electromagnetic radiation into component wavelengths or frequencies. The components of the incoming electromagnetic radiation are represented in FIGURE 1 as electromagnetic radiation components 112, 114, and 116. By way of non- limiting example, if the electromagnetic radiation dispersed by the prism 110 is halogen- generated light, the electromagnetic radiation components 112, 114, and 116 may include, without limitation, red, green, and infrared frequencies. By way of further example, if the electromagnetic radiation dispersed by the prism 110 includes both visible and infrared frequencies, the electromagnetic radiation components 112, 114, and 116 may include, without limitation, green, red, and infrared.

It will be appreciated that the frequencies in the electromagnetic radiation separated by the electromagnetic selector and the frequencies of the electromagnetic radiation components 112, 114, and 116 may vary, and are numerous. For example, without limitation, the electromagnetic radiation may be infrared (a wavelength of approximately 1 mm to 10 μιη), within the visible light spectrum (approximately 380 nm and 760 nm), or ultraviolet light or any other suitable portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. As another non-limiting example, the electromagnetic radiation may be separated into one or more colors within visible light: violet light (wavelength of approximately 400 nm), indigo light (wavelength of approximately 4445 nm), blue light (wavelength of approximately 475 nm), green light (wavelength of approximately 510 nm), yellow light (wavelength of approximately 570 nm), orange light (wavelength of approximately 590 nm), or red light (wavelength of approximately 650 nm). Although three electromagnetic radiation components 112, 114, 116 are shown in FIGURE 1, any number of electromagnetic radiation components may be utilized in the illustrative embodiments. For embodiments using the prism 110, it should be appreciated that the prism 110 may be selected or designed to separate the desired portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic radiation components 112, 114, and 116 may be detected by a plurality of sensors 117, such as a sensor array 118. The sensor array 118 may be composed of individual electromagnetic radiation sensors, as shown in FIGURE 2. These individual electromagnetic radiation sensors may be any component capable of detecting electromagnetic radiation, such as charge-coupled devices (CCDs), complementary metal-oxide-semiconductors (CMOSs), photodiodes, etc. In another embodiment, the sensor array 118 may be an area scan camera that is subdivided into a desired number of columns and rows. Furthermore, the sensor array 118 shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 includes three columns 120, 122, 124 and six rows 126, 128, 130, 132, 134, 136 of individual electromagnetic sensors for purposes of illustration only, but can include any number of rows and columns. For example, the number of columns 120, 122, 124 may match the number of electromagnetic radiation components 112, 114, and 116 from which to generate images of the document 104, and each of these numbers may vary (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 7, 10, 100, 1000, etc.). Furthermore, in one embodiment, each column 120, 122, 124 may comprise two or more columns of individual electromagnetic radiation sensors, and each row 126, 128, 130, 132, 134, 136 may comprise two or more rows of individual electromagnetic radiation sensors. In other embodiments, the plurality of sensors 117 need not be an array and may be distributed in an irregular pattern to accommodate desired aspects of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Continuing to refer to FIGURE 2, each column 120, 122, 124 of the sensor array 118 may detect or receive a respective electromagnetic radiation component 112, 114, 116 as the document 104 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow 106 to form the images 138, 140, 142 shown in FIGURE 3. In the "snapshot" of the imaging capturing process shown in FIGURE 1, it is the illuminated portion of the document 104 that is being received by the sensor array 118; however, as the document 104 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow 106, all or a portion of the document 104 may become illuminated by the electromagnetic radiation source 102 so that all or a portion of the document 104 may be captured as one or more images.

The document image capturing system 100 allows for multiple electromagnetic radiation frequencies to be captured for the illuminated portion of the document 104 at the same time by separating out those electromagnetic radiation frequencies using the prism 110 or other electromagnetic selector 109. In the non- limiting example of FIGURES 1 through 3, the entire document 104 has been imaged by moving the document 104 in the direction indicated by the arrow 106 and illuminating the document 104 along substantially its entire longitudinal length over time. The plurality of sensors 117 may be used to capture a plurality of line images for each electromagnetic segment or component and the processing unit 154 may build the corresponding complete document image from the respective line images. This approach may be used in all the embodiments herein. The line images may be vertical for the orientation shown or may have other orientations.

In the specific, illustrative example of FIGURES 1 through 3, the sensor array column 124 may receive the electromagnetic radiation component 112 for all or a portion of the document 104 as it moves in the direction indicated by the arrow 106 to form the image 138. The sensor array column 122 may receive the electromagnetic radiation component 114 for all or a portion of the document 104 is it moves in the direction indicated by the arrow 106 to form the image 140. In addition, the sensor array column 120 may receive the electromagnetic radiation component 116 for all or a portion of the document 104 as it moves in the direction indicated by the arrow 106 to form the image 142. To provide an illustrative example, the electromagnetic radiation components 112, 114, 116 may be infrared, red, and ultraviolet electromagnetic radiation, respectively, to form an infrared image 138, red image 140, and ultraviolet image 142. In other examples, the electromagnetic radiation components 112, 114, 116, and the respective images 138, 140, 142 formed by them, may be any electromagnetic radiation frequency (e.g., infrared, ultraviolet, gamma, visible, etc.) in the electromagnetic spectrum.

At least one memory 150 and at least one processor 152 (collectively processing unit 154) or functionally equivalent circuitry operate to receive and store image data from the plurality of sensors. The one or more memories 150 for storing data or instructions is associated with one or more processors 152 to form a processing unit 154 to capture images, perform synchronization or other control aspects of the system 100, and to do any desired processing. The one or more memories 150 and one or more processors 152 are coupled to the plurality of sensors 117 for receiving the different aspects of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum. The processing unit 154 controls movement of the document 104 relative to the electromagnetic source 102 or sources, the capturing of images by the plurality of sensors 117, and any desired processing of one or more images for the purposes of validation, authentication, identification, fitness check, print quality inspection, or any other suitable purpose. Fitness or quality inspections performed using the one or more images may determine soil level, presence of holes, presence of tears, presence of security feature(s), level of wear of the document or a security feature thereof, presence of optical variable ink (OVI) or optical variable material (OVM), presence of watermark(s), presence of hologram(s), ink wear, etc. The processing unit 154 may cause the images to be captured faster than the movement of the document 104 to allow complete images within multiple aspects of the electromagnetic spectrum with a single pass. The one or more memories 150 and one or more processors 152 may be configured to perform numerous processing steps on the captured images to identify the document, verify the document, or analyze fitness of the document. As a non-limiting example, the one or more memories and one or more processors may be configured to perform the following steps: receive for a plurality of locations on the document the at least two segments having different wavelengths on an electromagnetic spectrum; use the at least two segments having different wavelengths on an electromagnetic spectrum for the plurality of locations to produce at least two images of document; and compare data of the two images to a standard. The comparison may be accomplished with at least a three-dimensional data matrix.

Thus, the images 138, 140, 142 captured by the sensor array 118 may be stored on a storage or memory 150, and may undergo further processing. Non-limiting examples of the types of processing the images 138, 140, 142 may undergo include determining the authenticity or fitness of the document 104, identifying the type of document 104, inspecting the document 104 for defects in manufacturing or other quality assessment, detection and measurement of stains, detection and measurement of applied tape or other material, or any other process that may utilize the images 138, 140, 142. The processing unit 154 may also be coupled to the conveyor 107 and electromagnetic source 102 for coordinating or synchronizing movement of the document 104 and illumination by the electromagnetic source 102.

While the document image capturing system 100 may be used to capture an image of any type of document, the document 104 shown in FIGURE 1 is a banknote, or currency. Indeed, the document 104 may be a banknote from any country of origin. Other types of documents, or sophisticated documents, on which the document image capturing system 100 may be used include financial documents (e.g., checks, money orders, travelers' checks, etc.), legal-related documents, passports, or any other type of document capable of being imaged. In another illustrative embodiment, the document 104 may remain stationary while all or a portion of the document is imaged using the components and processes in the illustrative embodiments. In another embodiment, the document image capturing system 100 may move, instead of the document 104, to capture the images 138, 140, 142. In another embodiment, the lens 108 may be absent from the document image capturing system 100 and the electromagnetic radiation may be reflected from the document 104 directly into the electromagnetic selector 109, e.g., the prism 110. In another embodiment, the electromagnetic radiation may be transmitted through the document 104 instead of being reflected off the surface of the document 104; in this embodiment, the electromagnetic radiation source 102 may be on the opposite side of the document 104 than the lens 108, prism 110, and sensor array 118. In another embodiment, other components, in addition to or in lieu of the lens 108 or the prism 110, may be used to capture multiple frequencies of electromagnetic radiation reflecting or transmitting from the document 104 at substantially the same time.

Referring now primarily to FIGURE 4, another illustrative embodiment of a document image capturing system 200 is presented that includes an electromagnetic selector 209 in the form a plurality of filters, e.g., filters 244, 246, 248 to capture images of the document 204. The system 200 is analogous in many respects to the system 100 of FIGURES 1-3, and accordingly, some parts may not be further described here and some parts may be referenced and not explicitly shown but are analogous to those previously presented. The same or analogous components have been indexed by 100. Electromagnetic radiation is emitted by an electromagnetic source 202. The electromagnetic radiation is reflected off (or transmitted through in other embodiments) the document 204 to the electromagnetic selector 209. The electromagnetic selector 209 isolates at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation into at least two segments having different wavelengths on an electromagnetic spectrum. As noted, in this illustrative embodiment, the electromagnetic selector 209 is a plurality of electromagnetic filters 244, 246, 248. For example, each filter 244, 246, 248 may be a band pass filter.

Each of the filters 244, 246, 248 may block all but a particular electromagnetic radiation component frequency from the electromagnetic radiation reflected toward the plurality of sensors 217, e.g., sensor array 218. A similar result may be accomplished as that in the embodiment described in FIGURES 1 through 3 because each column 220, 222, 224 may receive a respective electromagnetic radiation component that is used to form a respective image of the document 204, such as the images 138, 140, 142 in FIGURE 3. Each of the filters 244, 246, 248, which are interposed in front of the sensor array columns 224, 222, 218, respectively, may be selected so as to allow a desired electromagnetic radiation component to pass therethrough, thereby forming separate images that are each formed by a desired electromagnetic radiation frequency. In capturing an image, or images, or aspects of the electromagnetic radiation, the plurality of sensors 217 may be considered a single camera in some embodiments. The single camera approach helps insure a substantially registered image(s) is (are) captured for the different aspects of the electromagnetic spectrum as separated by the electromagnetic selector 209.

To provide an illustrative and non-limiting example, the filter 244 may block all electromagnetic radiation except for red electromagnetic radiation. The filter 246 may block all electromagnetic radiation except for blue electromagnetic radiation. The filter 248 may block all electromagnetic radiation except for green electromagnetic radiation. In this illustrative embodiment, the sensor array column 224 may collect a series of red, line-shaped images to form the red image 138 in FIGURE 3. The sensor array column 222 may collect a series of blue, line-shaped images to form the blue image 140 in FIGURE 3. The sensor array column 220 may collect a series of green, line-shaped images to form the green image 142 in FIGURE 3. These images may be collected as the document 204 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow 206. While this non-limiting example uses electromagnetic radiation components of red, green, and blue, the electromagnetic radiation components may be any frequency in the electromagnetic spectrum and the filters 244, 246, 248 may block or allow any desired electromagnetic radiation frequencies. The document image capturing system 200 allows for multiple electromagnetic radiation frequencies to be captured for the illuminated portion of the document 204 at the same time by filtering electromagnetic radiation reflected or transmitted from or through the document 204 using the filters 244, 246, 248.

Although not shown in FIGURE 4, the document image capturing system 200 may include one or more lenses that focus or disperse electromagnetic radiation as desired within the system. For example, one or more lenses may be included between the document 204 and the filters 244,

246, 248 so as to suitably direct reflected electromagnetic radiation onto the filters 244, 246, 248.

Analogously to FIGURE 1, the system 200 may include a processing unit 254 for receiving the images from the plurality of sensors 217. In addition to being coupled to the plurality of sensors 217, the processing unit 254 may be coupled to the electromagnetic source 202 and the conveyor or document guide 207 for controlling, synchronizing, or coordinating the same.

Referring now primarily to FIGURE 5, another illustrative embodiment of a document image capturing system 300 is presented. The system 300 is analogous in many respects to the system 100 of FIGURES 1-3, and accordingly, some parts may not be further described here and some parts may be referenced and not explicitly shown but are analogous to those previously presented. The same or analogous components have been indexed by 200.

The system 300 includes a first electromagnetic source 302 for illuminating at least a portion of the document with electromagnetic radiation and a second electromagnetic source 303 for illuminating at least a portion of the document with electromagnetic radiation. In this embodiment, the first electromagnetic source 302 and the second electromagnetic source 303 are on the same side of document 304. A centerline 356 of the electromagnetic radiation from the first electromagnetic source 302 forms a first angle 358. A centerline 360 of the

electromagnetic radiation from the second electromagnetic source 303 forms a second angle 362. The first angle 358 is typically between 5 and 45 degrees. The second angle 362 is typically between 45 and 85 degrees. Typically, the second angle 362 is 10 degrees or more greater than the first angle 358.

The system 300 also includes a conveyor 307 for causing relative movement between the document 304 and the first electromagnetic source 302. Typically the conveyor 307 moves the document 304 in a first direction 306. The system also includes an electromagnetic selector 309 for isolating at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation into at least two segments having different wavelengths on an electromagnetic spectrum. In this illustrative embodiment, the electromagnetic selector 309 is a prism 310. One or more lenses 308 may be disposed between the document 304 and the electromagnetic selector 309. The one or more lenses 308 are used to focus the electromagnetic radiation emanating from the document 104 onto the electromagnetic selector 309.

The system 300 further includes a plurality of sensors 317 for recording electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic selector 309 is disposed between the document 304 and the plurality of sensors 317. At least two of the plurality of sensors 317 are configured to record the at least two segments of electromagnetic radiation emanating from the electromagnetic selector 309.

As before a processing unit 354 is coupled to the plurality of sensors 317 for receiving image data therefrom. The processing unit 354 may thus receive images and process the images. The processing unit 354 is also coupled to the first electromagnetic source 302 and the second electromagnetic source 303, or the conveyor 307 for synchronizing or controlling the same. In one embodiment, the sources 302, 303 may be modulated by the processing unit 354 so as to allow the captured images to be differentiated from one another. Any suitable modulation technique may be employed including, but not limited to, TDM, DSSSM or any other suitable modulation technique. With the illustrative embodiment of FIGURE 5, images are captured as before, but now with two sets: one for a smaller angle and one for a larger angle. Different information may be obtained from the different sets of images. For example, there may be certain features on the document that will change apparent color when one illuminates the document at different angles. For example, the document may contain optical variable ink (OVI), which exhibits a color shift based on viewing angle, or optical variable material (OVM), which is an applied polymer film or foil which exhibits a color shift based on viewing angle.

Referring now primarily to FIGURE 6, another illustrative embodiment of a document image capturing system 400 is presented. The system 400 is analogous in many respects to the system 100 of FIGURES 1-3, and accordingly, some parts may not be further described here and some parts may be referenced and not explicitly shown but are analogous to those previously presented. The same or analogous components have been indexed by 300.

In this illustrative embodiment, the conveyor or document guide 407 is formed with an aperture or channel 464 that exposes a portion of the document 404. A first electromagnetic source 402 reflects electromagnetic radiation off the document 404 as in previous embodiments. A second electromagnetic source 403 is positioned on an opposite side of the document from the first electromagnetic source 402 and emits electromagnetic radiation into the aperture 464. The second electromagnetic source 403 is positioned so that at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation from the second electromagnetic source 403 is transmitted through the document 404 towards the plurality of sensors 417. The first electromagnetic source 402 and the second electromagnetic source 403 are modulated to capture separate images of the document 404 using the same electromagnetic selector 409 and plurality of sensor 417. Again as with other embodiments, the sources 402, 403 may be modulated by the processing unit 454 so as to allow the captured images to be differentiated from one another. Any suitable modulation technique may be employed including, but not limited to, TDM, DSSSM or any other suitable modulation technique. The data from transmission developed using the second electromagnetic source 403 and the data from the reflection using the first electromagnetic source 402 may be combined into a single data array or measure and compared with other data to evaluate, verify, or identify the document 404.

In the embodiments, one or more images are captured as described. The images or portions thereof may be used to determine the characteristics of the document as previously suggested, including, without limitation, for the purposes of validation, authentication, identification, fitness check, print quality inspection, or any other suitable purpose. This may be accomplished in any suitable way, such as, without limitation, having the processing unit compare captured images (or a portion thereof) to one another and determining if a desired or undesired difference exists, comparing one or more captured images (or portion thereof) to a reference image or standard and determining if desired or undesired differences exist, or comparing an image (or a portion thereof) to reference criteria, e.g., is the brightness or color within a predetermined range. In still other approaches, multiple images captured using different aspects of the electromagnetic spectrum maybe combined or analyzed together for comparison to a reference image or criteria. It should be understood that other suitable approaches may be used.

Insofar as the description above and the accompanying drawings disclose any additional subject matter that is not within the scope of the claims below, the illustrative embodiments are not dedicated to the public and the right to file one or more applications to claim such additional embodiments is reserved.

Although the present invention and its advantages have been disclosed in the context of certain illustrative, non-limiting embodiments, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, permutations, and alterations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It will be appreciated that any feature that is described in connection to any one embodiment may also be applicable to any other

embodiment. Where appropriate, aspects of any of the examples described above may be combined with aspects of any of the other examples described to form further examples having comparable or different properties and addressing the same or different problems.

It will be understood that the benefits and advantages described above may relate to one embodiment or may relate to several embodiments. It will further be understood that reference to "an" item refers to one or more of those items.

The steps of the methods described herein may be carried out in any suitable order, or simultaneously where appropriate.

Although various embodiments of the invention have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, or with reference to one or more individual embodiments, those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A system for capturing images of a document, the system comprising:

a first electromagnetic source for illuminating at least a portion of the document with electromagnetic radiation;

a conveyor for causing relative movement between the document and the first electromagnetic source;

an electromagnetic selector for isolating at least a portion of the electromagnetic

radiation into at least two segments having different wavelengths on an electromagnetic spectrum;

a plurality of sensors for recording electromagnetic radiation;

wherein the electromagnetic selector is disposed between the document and the

plurality of sensors;

wherein at least two of the plurality of sensors are configured to record the at least two segments of electromagnetic radiation emanating from the electromagnetic selector;

one or more memories for storing data or instructions;

one or more processors associated with the one or more memories; and

wherein the one or more memories and one or more processors are coupled to the plurality of sensors for receiving the different aspects of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic selector comprises a prism.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic selector comprises a plurality of

electromagnetic filters.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of electromagnetic filters comprise a plurality of band pass filters.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first electromagnetic source emits electromagnetic

radiation in the visible light spectrum.

6. The svstem of claim 1. wherein the electromagnetic selector comnrises a nrism. and further comprising at least one lens between the prism and the document.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the conveyor for causing relative movement between the document and the first electromagnetic source comprises a conveyor for moving the document.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the conveyor for causing relative movement between the document and the first electromagnetic source comprises a conveyor for moving the first electromagnetic source, electromagnetic selector, and plurality of sensors.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more memories and one or more processors are coupled to the first electromagnetic source for controlling the first electromagnetic source.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second electromagnetic source on the same side of the document as the first electromagnetic source, and wherein an angle the first electromagnetic source forms to the document is at least ten degrees different than an angle the second electromagnetic source forms to the document.

11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a second electromagnetic source on the same side of the document as the first electromagnetic source, and wherein the first electromagnetic source forms an angle to the document of between five and 45 degrees and the second electromagnetic source forms an angle to the document of between 45 and 85 degrees.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more memories and one or more processors are coupled to the first electromagnetic source and the second electromagnetic source for controlling the first electromagnetic source and second electromagnetic source.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second electromagnetic source on the opposite side of the document from the first electromagnetic source, and wherein the second electromagnetic source is positioned so that at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation from the second electromagnetic source is transmitted through the document towards the plurality of sensors.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic selector comprises a prism; wherein the further comprising at least one lens between the prism and the document; and wherein the conveyor for causing relative movement between the document and the first electromagnetic source comprises a conveyor for moving the document.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more memories and one or more processors are configured to perform the following steps:

receiving for a plurality of locations on the document the at least two segments having different wavelengths on an electromagnetic spectrum;

using the at least two segments having different wavelengths on an electromagnetic spectrum for the plurality of locations to produce at least two images of document; and

comparing the two images to one or more standards.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more memories and one or more processors are configured to perform the following steps:

receiving for a plurality of locations on the document the at least two segments having different wavelengths on an electromagnetic spectrum; and comparing the at least two segments received with a predetermined reference for determining a characteristic of the document.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more memories and one or more processors are configured to perform the following steps:

receiving for a plurality of locations on the document the at least two segments having different wavelengths on an electromagnetic spectrum; and comparing the at least two segments received with each other in order to determine a characteristic of the document.

18. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second electromagnetic source on the same side of the document as the first electromagnetic source, and wherein the first electromagnetic source forms an angle to the document of between five and 45 degrees and the second electromagnetic source forms an angle to the document of between 45 and 85 degrees and wherein the one or more memories and one or more processors are configured to perform the following steps: receiving, for a plurality of locations on the document, the at least two segments having different wavelengths on an electromagnetic spectrum produced using the first electromagnetic source; and

receiving, for a plurality of locations on the document, the at least two segments having different wavelengths on an electromagnetic spectrum produced using the second electromagnetic source.

19. A method of capturing an image of a document, the method comprising:

projecting electromagnetic radiation from a first electromagnetic source on to the document so that at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation reflects off a surface of the document;

moving the document relative to the first electromagnetic source;

passing at least a portion of the reflected portion of the electromagnetic radiation through an electromagnetic selector to isolate at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation into at least two segments having different wavelengths on an electromagnetic spectrum; and

using a plurality of sensors to record the at least two segments of electromagnetic radiation.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising focusing the reflected portion of the

electromagnetic radiation onto the electromagnetic selector.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the electromagnetic selector comprises a prism.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the electromagnetic selector comprises a plurality of filters between the document and the plurality of sensors.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the first electromagnetic source emits electromagnetic radiation in the visible light spectrum.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising projecting electromagnetic radiation from a second electromagnetic source on the same side of the document as projected from the first electromagnetic source, and wherein the first electromagnetic source and second

electromagnetic source are at least 10 degrees different in an angle each forms with the document.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising transmitting electromagnetic radiation from a second electromagnetic source on the opposite side of the document from the first electromagnetic source through the document and at least partially onto the electromagnetic selector.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising comparing the at least two segments of

electromagnetic radiation with a reference to determine a characteristic of the document.

27. A method of manufacturing a system for capturing images of a document, the method

comprising:

providing a first electromagnetic source for illuminating at least a portion of the

document with electromagnetic radiation;

providing a conveyor for causing relative movement between the document and the first electromagnetic source;

providing a plurality of sensors for recording electromagnetic radiation;

positioning an electromagnetic selector between the document and the plurality of sensors, wherein the electromagnetic selector is for isolating at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation into at least two segments having different wavelengths on an electromagnetic spectrum;

wherein at least two of the plurality of sensors are configured to record the at least two segments of electromagnetic radiation emanating from electromagnetic selector;

providing one or more memories for storing data or instructions;

providing one or more processors associated with the one or more memories; and coupling the one or more memories and one or more processors to the plurality of sensors for receiving the different aspects of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the electromagnetic selector comprises a prism.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the electromagnetic selector comprises a plurality of electromagnetic filters.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

providing a second electromagnetic source for illuminating at least a portion of the document with electromagnetic radiation on the same side of the document that the first electromagnetic source is first directed; and

wherein the first electromagnetic source forms a first angle to the document and the second electromagnetic source forms a second angle to the document, and wherein the first angle and second angle are at least ten degrees different.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising

providing a second electromagnetic source for illuminating at least a portion of the document with electromagnetic radiation on an opposite side of the document from the side that the first electromagnetic source is first directed; and wherein the second electromagnetic source is positioned to transmit electromagnetic radiation through the document.