Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Kazumasa Koike

Kazuyuki Sato

Kazuhiro Yuasa

Shingo Nishizaki

Makoto Higashiyama

Masatake Ohmori

Masaki Tsugawa

Toyokazu Aoki

An image forming apparatus includes a rotating member that is rotatable, a communication medium, and a receiving unit. The communication medium that is attached to an outer circumference of the rotating member stores therein information on the rotating member and relays the information on the rotating member via wireless communication. The receiving unit receives the information on the rotating member from the communication medium.

Image forming apparatus and wireless communication device

An image processing circuit reduces binary data of an original image. At least one line buffer stores data of each line of the original image. At least one line buffer stores data of each line of a reduced image. An operation part performs a logical operation based on data of focused pixels of the original image, data of a peripheral pixel of the focused pixels, and data of peripheral pixels of a pixel of the reduced image, the pixel of the reduced image corresponding to the focused pixels.

Image processing circuit and image processing method that prevent problems occurring in image reduction

A facsimile machine reads an image and stored the image data. The facsimile machine then receives information from the destination device on the image processing capabilities of the destination device. The facsimile machine performs color space conversion of the image data based on the image processing capabilities of the destination device before establishing a connection with the destination device, establishes a connection with the destination device and transmits the color space converted the image data to the destination device.

Communication apparatus and image communication method

An image processing method of the invention is used for dividing each pixel of binary image data into pixels, with of the pixels having a size smaller than each pixel of the binary image data. The image processing method includes the steps of (a) referring to a first white/black pattern formed by a first group of pixels next to a pixel of interest that is a subject of image processing; (b) referring a second white/black pattern formed by a second group of pixels next to the first group of pixels; (c) dividing the pixel of interest into divided pixels; and (d) determining colors of the divided pixels on the basis of the first white/black pattern and/or the second white/black pattern so that an image formed by the divided pixels has a smoothed slant portion or jagged portion.

Image processing system and method

An image processing apparatus includes MTF correction part for converting an input multilevel image signal obtained via raster scanning into an output multilevel image signal through an MTF correction process, a first bi-level rendition part for performing a bi-level rendition process with respect to the output multilevel image signal so that a first bi-level image signal is produced, a second bi-level rendition part for performing a pseudo halftone rendition process with respect to the input multilevel image signal to generate a second bi-level image signal, a discrimination part for detecting whether a target pixel indicated by the input multilevel image signal is located in a halftone region of an original image or in a bi-level region thereof, and an image synthesizing part for outputting the first bi-level image signal to an output device when the target pixel is detected as being located in the bi-level region, and for outputting the second bi-level image signal to the output device when the target pixel is detected as being located in the halftone region.

Image processing apparatus for selectively using MTF correction process

A method and system for determining an optimal line density for further processing of an imaged document, in which contiguously located pixels of a predetermined color in an image document are counted and based thereon image fineness/coarseness and an optimal line density representing the document is determined. The imaged document is then converted to the optimal line density and provided for further processing, such as for transmission via facsimile.

Optimum line density determining method and system

An image processing device in which each pixel data of a gray-scale image, which data is obtained by scanning an original, is converted into a binary image-signal. The device comprises a matrix preparing unit for preparing a 3*3 pixel matrix comprising a focus pixel positioned in the center of the matrix and bordering pixels surrounding the focus pixel, a determining unit for determining whether or not the focus pixel is an edge pixel by comparing an intensity of the focus pixel with intensities of each of three bordering pixels consecutively arranged around the focus pixel, the comparison using the focus-pixel signal and bordering pixel-signals supplied by the matrix preparing unit, and the determining unit also being for outputting a control signal indicating the determined condition of the focus pixel. The device further comprises an enhancing unit for enhancing the focus pixel signal, and a selecting unit for selecting a pixel signal, in accordance with the control signal, from among the focus pixel signal and the enhanced pixel signal.

Image processing method and device using such method

An image processing apparatus includes a bit conversion part for converting an input multilevel image signal obtained via raster scanning into an output multilevel image signal through an MTF correction processes; a bi-level rendition part for performing a bi-level rendition processes with respect to the output multilevel image signal so that a first bi-level image signal is produced, and for performing a pseudo halftone rendition process with respect to the input multilevel image signal to generate a second bi-level image signal; a discrimination part for detecting whether a picture element indicated by the input multilevel image signal is located in a halftone region of an original image or in a bi-level region thereof, and an image synthesizing part for outputting the first bi-level image signal to an output device when the picture element is detected as being located in the bi-level region of the original image and for outputting the second bi-level image signal to the output device when the picture element is detected as being located in the halftone region of the original image.

Image processing apparatus for converting a multilevel image signal into

An image processing apparatus includes a matrix register part for reading an original image for each area containing a predetermined number of pixels of the original image, and for extracting multilevel image data corresponding to the pixels of the read area, the pixels including a target pixel and neighboring pixels surrounding the target pixel, an averaging part for providing the average of multilevel image data based on the data of the pixels extracted by the matrix register part, and a binarization part for providing a bilevel image signal corresponding to the multilevel image data of the target pixel by using the average of the multilevel image data from the averaging part as a threshold value of binarization.

Image processing apparatus providing a bilevel image signal by changing

An image processing unit comprises an image scanning unit for scanning an original at a plurality of predetermined line densities, a smoothing unit for smoothing the intensity of each pixel, the intensity of each pixel being corrected to be the average intensity of a predetermined number of pixels surrounding each pixel in a predetermined pixel area, a binarizing unit for binarizing the corrected pixel by a half-tone processing, and a pixel area changing unit for changing the pixel area based on the line density employed by the image scanning unit. The intensity of each pixel may be corrected, by using pixels included in the predetermined pixel area, based on the existence of a pixel corresponding to a contour or a fine line in the original in the pixel area. A clear image of a mesh picture is obtained without generation of moire, blurring of contours, or breaking of fine lines.

Image processing unit processing pixel data according to scan line

An image processing apparatus includes a reading part for reading an image by raster scanning of a document and for producing a multilevel image data relating to one pixel of the image, a memory part for storing a plurality of predetermined weight matrix patterns, each weight matrix pattern having N.times.N weight coefficients arranged in an N.times.N formation, a selecting part for selecting one of the plurality of predetermined weight matrix patterns based on a printing characteristic of a printing unit that prints a bi-level processed image, a processing part for adding a weight coefficient read from the selected weight matrix pattern to the multilevel image data relating to one pixel from the reading part so that a weighted multilevel image data is produced, and a binarizing part for processing the weighted multilevel image data by using a binarizing process based on an error scattering method to produce a bi-level signal relating to one dot of a processed image, and for supplying the bi-level signal to the printing unit to print the processed image.

Apparatus for producing a bilevel image suitable for a printing

A picture processing apparatus with a texture elimination capability which is applied to a facsimile. The apparatus includes an input image sensor for inputting an analog signal by scanning a document containing a character region and a graphic region, an analog-to-digital converter for converting the analog signal into multilevel digital data, a region segmentation part for determining whether each data of the multilevel digital data is included in the graphic region, a binary coding part for binary coding the multilevel digital data through an error diffusion process and for supplying the binary-coded data to an output part, and a weighting part for assigning weights to the multilevel digital data at given intervals therebetween when the multilevel digital data is determined as being included in the graphic region and for supplying the weighted multilevel digital data to the binary coding part, so that the weighted multilevel digital data are binary-coded through an error diffusion process and undesired texture is eliminated.

Picture processing apparatus

An image processor converts a resolution of an image from an inferior resolution to a superior resolution and performs an smoothing process for smoothing jagged edges of an image by using a 3*3 pixel matrix. The center of the 3*3 pixel matrix is a target pixel which is to be converted from the inferior resolution to the superior resolution. The image processor according to the present invention may use a first row of the 3*3 pixel matrix which has been converted into the superior resolution, so that the target pixel can be converted more accurately. In addition, the image processor may use four color patterns of the 3*3 pixel matrix so that the jagged edge of the image can be smoothed in a horizontal direction. Moreover, the image processor may use different color patterns of the 3*3 pixel matrix when the image processor converts the resolution of the image from the inferior resolution to an intermediate resolution and then converts the resolution of the image from the intermediate resolution to the superior resolution, so that errors caused by the conversion never accumulate.

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Atsugi, Japan

Kazumasa Koike