The scanner, types of scanners

What to Look for in Voice Recognition Software

Voice Recognition Software has to have the right kind of features. For instance, there needs to be a voice training of some kind to help the computer become familiar with your voice. Other features like customizable commands and accent support also expand the usefulness of the programme.

The primary function of this software is to let you navigate your computer by voice. That means you must be able to open and close other programmes and use the features within them all by voice command.

The second most important function is dictation. This allows you to speak text into Word or other text editor. But the programme must be good at recognizing speech in order to accurately transcribe it to text, so dictation is the true test of a good voice recognition programme.

We tested the programmes “Dragon Naturally Speaking Premium”, “Dragon Naturally Speaking Home” and “Talking Desktop” in dictation mode and assigned a score to each one based on how many errors they made in transcribing speech. A higher score means a programme is better at handling all kinds of words.

Even if a programme is excellent at interpreting your voice, it’s practically useless if the commands and menus are difficult to use.

By taking all these factors into account, you can accurately choose software that suits you. Depending on your needs, you may find some features more important than others. To see what makes a good voice recognition software product and to make your choice, read the reviews of the top-ranked products. Source: http://voice-recognition-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

Student: What sort of technology is used in scanners?

Instructor: Well, a scanner is a bit like a photocopier. The most common types of scanners use a laser technology. You put the image you want to copy face down on the glass plate of the scanner, start the programme, and a laser beam reads the image in horizontal lines. This image is then sent to the computer where you can see it, and then manipulate it as you want.

Student: What about text? Can you scan text?

Instructor: Yes, you can, but you need special software called OCR - optical character recognition. This interprets the text letter by letter and enables the computer to recognize the characters.

Student: Why do people need to scan text?

Instructor: Well, text that's been scanned can be stored as data in databases, or edited with a word processor.

Student: Um, OK. What types of scanner are there?

Instructor: Well, there are five basic types: flatbed scanners, handheld scanners, slide scanners, drum scanners and sheet-feed scanners.

Flatbed scanners are built like a photocopier and are for use on a desktop. They can scan text, colour pictures and even small three-dimensional objects. They're very convenient and versatile.

Handheld scanners are small, compact and T-shaped. The scanning head isn't as wide as the one in a flatbed, so they can only copy images up to about four inches wide. They're used for capturing small pictures and logos.

Slide scanners are used to scan 35mm slides or film negatives. They work at very high resolution, so they're more expensive than flatbeds.

At present, the most accurate, highest-resolution scanners available are drum scanners, though they are not as common as the other types of scanning devices. They are used by the publishing industry to capture incredibly detailed images. They use a technology called a photomultiplier tube (PMT). In PMT, the document to be scanned is mounted on a glass cylinder. At the center of the cylinder there is an immobile sensor that splits light bounced from the document into three beams. Each beam is sent through a color filter into a photomultiplier tube where the light is changed into an electrical signal. The quality of a drum scan often comes at a very high purchase price.

A sheet-feed scanner (also referred to as an automatic document scanner or ADF scanner) is a digital imaging system specifically designed for scanning loose sheets of paper, widely used by businesses to scan office documents.

Sources of information:

1. S. R. Esteras. Infotech English for Computer Users, 4^th edition (Student’s book, Teacher’s book, Workbook + audio) – Cambridge University Press, 2009. – 168pp.

2. S. R. Esteras, E. M. Fabre. Professional English in use: ICT – Cambridge

University Press, 2007. – 117 pp.

3. Jeff Tyson. How scanners work [Электронный ресурс]. – Режим доступа: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/scanner.htm – Загл. с экрана.

4. Ma Wen Jie. History of Image Scanners [Электронный ресурс]. – Режим доступа:http://www.ehow.com/about_5240745_history-image-scanners.html– Загл. с экрана.

5. http://www.digitizationguidelines.gov/term.php?term=sheetfedscanner

Vocabulary:

1) to put an image face down on the glass plate of a scanner – положить изображение лицевой стороной вниз на стеклянную поверхность сканера

2) a laser beam – лазерный луч

3) to manipulate an image – работать с изображением

4) OCR – optical character recognition - оптическое распознавание символов

5) to store information in databases – хранить информацию в базах данных

6) a flatbed scanner – планшетный сканер

7) a slide scanner – сканер слайдов (фотопленок)

8) a handheld scanner – портативный сканер (ручной сканер, перемещение которого над сканируемой областью производится пользователем)

9) to scan three-dimensional objects – сканировать трехмерные объекты

10) versatile – многоцелевой, универсальный

11) film negatives – негативы пленок

12) high resolution – высокое разрешение (качество изображения)

13) T-shaped – Т-образный

14) to capture logos – сканировать логотипы, эмблемы

15) a drum scanner – барабанный сканер (сканер, в котором оригинал сканируемого изображения крепится к цилиндру из плексигласа. Во время сканирования барабан вращается с очень высокой скоростью)

16) a photomultiplier tube, PMT – фотоумножитель, или ФУ, – светочувствительное устройство в барабанных сканерах, позволяющее воспринимать очень слабые световые сигналы

17) publishing industry – издательское дело

18) to mount – устанавливать, монтировать

19) to split – расщеплять, разделять; раскалывать

20) to bounce – зд. отражаться; отскакивать, отпрыгивать

21) a sheet-feed scanner – листовой сканер, листопротяжный сканер

22) loose sheets of paper – отдельные листы бумаги

23) an Automatic Document Feeder, or automatic document scanner, – автоматический загрузчик (податчик) документов

Exercises:

1. Complete the collocations:

1. a laser a) head

2. film b) negatives

3. three-dimensional c) industry

4. a colour d) images

5. a photomultiplier e) objects

6. a scanning f) beam

7. a publishing g) signal

8. detailed h) filter

9. electrical i) price

10. purchase j) tube

II. Complete the sentences using the information from the text:

1. Scanners use a sort of technology very similar to the technology employed in __________________.

2. To scan an image you should place it face down on the ______________ of the scanner, launch the programme and the _________________ will read the image in horizontal lines.

3. Then the image is transferred to the computer so that you can _______________ it.

4. If you want to edit a text document which has been scanned, you will need special software – _______________________________.

5. This programme enables the computer to ___________________ characters and convert them into text which then can be edited with a ________________.

6. ________________ scanners look like a photocopier and are designed to be placed on a desktop.

7. _______________ scanners are used for capturing logos and small pictures; they are compact and can scan images up to 10cm wide.

8. ______________ scanners work at very high resolution and are helpful if you need to scan film negatives.

9. A __________________ scanner allows only paper to be scanned rather than books or other thick objects. It moves the paper across a stationary scan head.

10. A __________________scanner is used to capture images at the highest resolution. Photographs and transparencies are fitted into a cylinder that is spun at speeds exceeding 1,000 rotations per minute during the scanning operation.

III. Use the information and the vocabulary from the text and write down answers to the questions:

1. How many types of scanners are there? Describe each of them.

2. What scanning technologies are mentioned in the text? Explain each of them in detail.

IV. Translate the sentences into English:

1. Сканер – периферийное устройство ввода информации в виде текстов, рисунков, слайдов, фотографий, а также изображений объёмных объектов небольших размеров.

2. Планшетный сканер – наиболее распространённое устройство, позволяющее сканировать страницы журналов, книг и бумаги, а также использующееся для быстрого ввода текстовых документов. Для сканирования следует открыть крышку сканера, положить на стеклянную пластину лист бумаги изображением вниз и запустить программу.

3. В барабанных сканерах оригинал закрепляется на прозрачном барабане, который вращается с большой скоростью. Считывающий элемент располагается максимально близко от оригинала, что обеспечивает сканирование с самым высоким разрешением.

4. Сканер пленок предназначен только для сканирования прозрачных оригиналов, таких как слайды и негативы.

5. Ручные сканеры захватывают изображения шириной до 10 см, имеют низкое разрешение, но доступны по цене. Сканер штрих кодов – наиболее распространенный вид ручного сканера.

V. Discuss the following questions:

1. Do you think there is any other scanning technology except for those mentioned in the text? Can you guess what it is like?

2. What is a bar code? What is it used for?

3. Find out on the Internet about how a barcode scanner works. What is a bar code scanner symbology?

VI. Work in groups. The first group: read the text about bar codes and symbologies. The second group: read the text about the laser scanning technology. The third group: read the text about the digital imaging technology. Prepare short summaries of the texts and present them in class (use phrases for summarizing from Appendix2).

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