First consumer automated bookscanner

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granterpower
Posts: 7
Joined: 13 Dec 2015, 15:36
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Country: Canada

First consumer automated bookscanner

Post by granterpower »

Hi Guys. I been following this forum for a while and after many prototypes, I made an automated bookscanner for consumers.

Here it is.

bookscan.ca

any feedback greatly appreciated
jlev
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Joined: 04 Mar 2014, 00:52
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Country: USA
Contact:

Re: First consumer automated bookscanner

Post by jlev »

This looks really interesting! I've signed up for the mailing list. :) I'm also curious to know more: What drives it (Arduino? Raspberry Pi? Something else?)? How many pages does it turn per hour?

I especially like how portable it looks, and how few moving parts it looks to have. The page turning mechanism is one that I've never seen here, but simple enough that it seems obvious to me now (the latter is often the mark of an especially good idea). Do the frame and platen break down for packing?
dtic
Posts: 464
Joined: 06 Mar 2010, 18:03

Re: First consumer automated bookscanner

Post by dtic »

Neat! Here is a link to the youtube video

Is that tape on the box that is reeled down into the page? I did a "tape based" prototype some years back but with the tape attached to a moving finger mechanism instead (no wire reel). Youtube video here.

The trouble I had when testing was that the tape lost adhesive capacity in a not so predictable way. Also with too much/strong tape there is risk of page ripping and/or of the mechanism getting stuck and with too little/weak tape there is risk of pages falling back down. I gave up on it.

One thing missing from your prototype is a finger or other mechanism that holds pages on both sides in place while the platen is still up. That is a pretty tricky problem.
granterpower
Posts: 7
Joined: 13 Dec 2015, 15:36
Number of books owned: 0
Country: Canada

Re: First consumer automated bookscanner

Post by granterpower »

jlev wrote:This looks really interesting! I've signed up for the mailing list. :) I'm also curious to know more: What drives it (Arduino? Raspberry Pi? Something else?)? How many pages does it turn per hour?

Arduino with motor drivers. I am trying to run it on a arduino cnc shield so its more compact.
I haven't tested the speed because once I up the voltage from 12v to 24v, the motors will go much faster.


I especially like how portable it looks, and how few moving parts it looks to have. The page turning mechanism is one that I've never seen here, but simple enough that it seems obvious to me now (the latter is often the mark of an especially good idea). Do the frame and platen break down for packing?
Thanks! I put alot of time on using as few parts as needed.
The unique page turning mechanism is why I started this project. It's so simple that I can know I execute this idea.
The frame and platen does break down. The only challenge is the 39 inch aluminum. It might be difficult to ship such a long piece. I'm looking to adjust the design for easier shipping.
granterpower
Posts: 7
Joined: 13 Dec 2015, 15:36
Number of books owned: 0
Country: Canada

Re: First consumer automated bookscanner

Post by granterpower »

dtic wrote:Neat! Here is a link to the youtube video

Is that tape on the box that is reeled down into the page? I did a "tape based" prototype some years back but with the tape attached to a moving finger mechanism instead (no wire reel). Youtube video here.

The trouble I had when testing was that the tape lost adhesive capacity in a not so predictable way. Also with too much/strong tape there is risk of page ripping and/or of the mechanism getting stuck and with too little/weak tape there is risk of pages falling back down. I gave up on it.

One thing missing from your prototype is a finger or other mechanism that holds pages on both sides in place while the platen is still up. That is a pretty tricky problem.
Ya, its tape.
For me, the tapes works for 1000 pages to be safe. Power fixes the getting stuck part. I'm upping the voltage to 24v.
It is a balance between too much and to little stick.
Why do I need to hold pages while the platen is up?
dtic
Posts: 464
Joined: 06 Mar 2010, 18:03

Re: First consumer automated bookscanner

Post by dtic »

granterpower wrote:For me, the tapes works for 1000 pages to be safe. Power fixes the getting stuck part. I'm upping the voltage to 24v.
Yes there is much more tape on your device than what I tested with so it will probably wear out much slower. But with that adhesive power and that kind of drag power isn't there a bigger risk of pages ripping?
granterpower wrote:Why do I need to hold pages while the platen is up?
Have you tried the device on a smaller paperback novel type book? I'd guess pages would flip back by themselves, perhaps even flip the book shut, once the platen is up and the adhesive block is reeled up. The smaller finger mechanism in the video I linked aimed to prevent that, though it was far from perfect.
granterpower
Posts: 7
Joined: 13 Dec 2015, 15:36
Number of books owned: 0
Country: Canada

Re: First consumer automated bookscanner

Post by granterpower »

the tape moves slowly off the page. Maybe the arm and cube goes quickly in and down. Then slowly out and up to prevent page rips.

Im thinking of including a manual mode too. To address small and fragile books. Right now, its automated for only books that don't fold on itself.
duerig
Posts: 388
Joined: 01 Jun 2014, 17:04
Number of books owned: 1000
Country: United States of America

Re: First consumer automated bookscanner

Post by duerig »

I watched the video several times and couldn't figure out how it was sticking to the page. It hadn't occurred to me that it was just tape. :-)

If the tape works reliably for a certain amount of time, then maybe you could work up a simple reel-to-reel system that very slowly reels tape off of a reel of tape and onto a waste reel each time it goes down. But that may be too complicated for your little grabber part.

I wonder if a vacuum would work in a similar way. Some of the designs have a vacuum that sucks up the whole page. But imagine something more like your design that only uses a small vacuum to suck up a small area for turning the page. The tube to the vacuum blower could reel/unreel like the cord on it currently does.

The way you have cut together your video makes the whole process pretty clear. But I would love to see a video of it just working for 5 or 10 minutes. It is kind of hypnotic.

-D
granterpower
Posts: 7
Joined: 13 Dec 2015, 15:36
Number of books owned: 0
Country: Canada

Re: First consumer automated bookscanner

Post by granterpower »

Yes I should put of a 1hr video of the bookscanner running. That will show it's reliability.
recaptcha
Posts: 64
Joined: 03 Sep 2010, 13:23
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Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Re: First consumer automated bookscanner

Post by recaptcha »

It's not the first consumer automated scanner. Other prototypes have been in the works for years.

The Linear Scanner will be available this year. It's faster and much more elegant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdMtOvKqw4Q

I'm on their mailing list too.
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