Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Hajime Tsukahara

Hiroshi Kubo

Masahiro Itoh

Yoshiaki Nagao

Ayumu Hashimoto

Hiroki Shirado

Tatsuya Ozaki

Kimiharu Yanagisawa

Tomohiko Ono

Yuuki Nakada

Tohru Kanno

Tomohiro Sasa

Makio Kondo

Dalsuke Nikaku

A data processing device comprises: a data receiver to receive data to be processed, an external clock, and a unit control signal determining a processing unit for the data to be processed from an outside, the data receiver including a PLL circuit to receive the external clock; a clock abnormality detector to operate based on a clock of a system different from a system of the external clock and detect abnormality of the external clock based on a lock signal output from the PLL circuit; and a data processing controller to control processing of the data. When abnormality of the external clock is detected, the data processing controller stops taking in the data to be processed, and when the external clock becomes normal again, take in the unit control signal and resume taking in the data to be processed.

Data processing device, image reading apparatus, image forming apparatus, and method for processing data

A data processing device includes a data processing circuit and a data processing control circuit. The data processing circuit is configured to perform data processing on processing target data by use of an external clock, the processing target data being included in a data signal received from an outside, the external clock being included in the data signal. The data processing control circuit is configured to detect a state of the external clock and control execution of the data processing on the processing target data in accordance with the state of the external clock. The data processing control circuit is configured to operate with a clock having a lower impedance than an impedance of the external clock, and discard the processing target data received during a period in which an abnormality of the external clock is detected, in a case of detecting the abnormality of the external clock.

Data processing device, image reading apparatus, image forming apparatus, and data processing method

An inclination detecting device includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to detect, in image information that is an image of an object imaged by an imaging device at an imaging position where a background member forms a background, a first boundary between the background member and a shadow of the object; detect a second boundary between the object and the shadow of the object in the image information; and detect an inclination of the object in the image information from the first boundary and the second boundary detected by the processing circuitry.

Inclination detecting device, reading device, image processing apparatus, and method of detecting inclination

An edge detecting device includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to acquire first color information and second color information in an image including a document region and a background region outside the document region. The first color information is color information of the background region and the second color information is color information of the document region. The processing circuitry is configured to detect a boundary between the background region and the document region from a change in color information between the first color information and the second color information.

Edge detecting device, tilt correction device, reading device, image processing apparatus, and edge detection method

An inclination detecting device includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to detect, in image information that is an image of an object imaged by an imaging device at an imaging position where a background member forms a background, a first boundary between the background member and a shadow of the object at detection positions in at least one of main-scanning and sub-scanning directions on an outline of the object; detect a second boundary between the object and the shadow of the object at detection positions in at least one of the main-scanning and sub-scanning directions on the outline of the object in the image information; detect a boundary group including detection results of the second boundary at the detection positions; and detect an inclination of the object in the image information from detection results of the first boundary, the second boundary, and the boundary group.

A sheet reading apparatus includes a sheet table on which a sheet is placed, a conveyor configured to convey the sheet, a reading guide configured to guide the sheet conveyed by the conveyor, and a reading device configured to read a shadow of the sheet conveyed by the conveyor, for detection of an inclination of the sheet. The sheet reading apparatus further includes a transparent member disposed at a position on a reading line of the reading device. The position on the reading line is withdrawn from the sheet and adjacent to the reading guide.

Sheet reading apparatus for detecting the shadow of a conveyed sheet to determine an inclination

An image processing apparatus includes circuitry to: obtain a read image read from an image of a document output from an image reading device; detect an edge between a background area and a document area in the read image; sample a detection result of the edge at each first interval in a first direction to extract a first boundary point group including a plurality of boundary points; sample the detection result of the edge at each second interval in the first direction to extract a second boundary point group including a plurality of boundary points; determine a noise removal condition based on the first boundary point group; remove, from the second boundary point group, a boundary point satisfying the noise removal condition as noise; and calculate a linear equation approximating the second boundary point group from which the noise is removed.

Image processing apparatus, method for processing image, and recording medium for noise removal and skew correction

A correction-data generating unit divides, into a matrix of row blocks in a sub scanning direction and column blocks in a main scanning direction, white data on a transfer drum read by a reading unit during a predetermined time period that is shorter than a time period in which the read point of the transfer drum is returned to a position where the reading unit has started reading the first white reference member, calculates, for each column of the matrix, a correction-data candidate value corresponding to a variation ratio of a mean of data of the row blocks in the sub-scanning direction, and determines a minimum value of the calculated correction-data candidate values as the correction data. A shading-data correcting corrects the shading data by using the generated correction data. A shading correcting unit performs shading correction on image data of a document after the correction data is generated.

Image reading apparatus, image forming apparatus, and shading correction method

An image scanning apparatus includes an image scanning unit that reads an image from an original sheet by scanning an image-formed surface of the original sheet with light in a main-scanning direction and converting light reflected from the image-formed surface into electricity using a photoelectric conversion element; a shading correction unit that performs shading correction on an image signal created by reading the image from the original sheet; a white member that faces a scanning surface of the image scanning unit; and a reference-white-data creating unit that creates reference white data for the shading correction by scanning a surface of the white member using the image scanning unit; and an interval controlling unit that decreases an interval between a scanning surface of the image scanning unit and a surface of the white member when the reference-white-data creating unit creates the referential white data.

Image scanning apparatus and image forming apparatus

When a light source is in off state, a gray level of image data on a pixel-by-pixel basis is generated as a first black level and an average of gray levels of a portion of the image data corresponding to optical black image portions of sensor chips is generated as a second black level. After that, when an image of an original is read, an average of gray levels of the black image data on a line-by-line basis is generated as a third black level. The first black level is subtracted from a gray level of the image data on a line-by-line basis (an offset correction), and a difference between the third black level and the second black level is added to a gray level of the image data after being subjected to the subtraction on a line-by-line basis.

Image reading apparatus

An image reading signal processing IC includes three circuits which independently process input analog image signals of three primary colors. Each circuit includes an ADC which converts amplified analog image signals into digital image data. Each circuit also includes an LVDS processing circuit which outputs the digital image data in a low voltage differential signaling level. Each circuit further includes a test pattern generating circuit connected between the ADC and the LVDS processing circuit for generating digital data of a test pattern. The image reading signal processing IC additionally includes an operational mode determination information input unit which inputs operational mode determination information to the test pattern generating circuit. Further, the image reading signal processing IC includes a switching unit which switches one of the digital data of the test patterns to any one or more of main scanning direction gradation pattern data and sub scanning direction gradation pattern data.

Image reading signal processing IC, image reading apparatus, and image forming apparatus

An image reading apparatus includes: an original reading unit that includes a plurality of first and second image sensor chips each arranged at a predetermined interval in a row along a main-scanning direction, wherein the two rows are arranged so that the first chips overlap the second chips in a zigzag manner in a sub-scanning direction; an image-data generating unit that generates first image data by correcting image data with a first correction coefficient, and generates a plurality of pieces of second image data by correcting image data with a plurality of types of second correction coefficients; a comparing unit that compares image data in an overlapping portion between the first image data and each of the plurality of pieces of second image data; and an image-data selecting unit that selects a piece of second image data based on a comparison result.

An image reading apparatus has a plurality of emitters that emit light onto a manuscript surface in a light quantity that is the synthesized light quantity of light emitted from the plurality of emitters. In the image reading apparatus, determination on the abnormality of a reference white data level value at the time of turning on a power supply is carried out through comparison between the reference white data level value with a predetermined absolute value. A normal reference white data level value is stored in a first storing unit, while a comparison white data level value detected at the time of manuscript reading operation is stored in a second storing unit. Then, a differential between the level values stored in the first and second storing units is calculated, and an abnormality determining unit compares the differential with a predetermined threshold to detect the abnormality of an emitter.

Image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus

An image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus including the image reading apparatus. The image reading apparatus includes a photoelectric converter to convert incident light into an analog image signal, a drive unit to drive the photoelectric converter by a frequency modulated clock signal, an overlapping circuit to overlap an anti-phase analog signal to the analog image signal fluctuating according to the frequency modulated clock signal with a same amount of fluctuation as that of the analog image signal, and an analog digital converter to convert the overlapped analog image signal into a digital output.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Hajime Tsukahara