Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Muneaki Iwata

Hayato Fujita

Masaaki Ishida

Atsufumi Omori

Naoto Watanabe

Satoshi Kaneko

Kazuhiro Fujita

Kazuhiro Akatsu

Seizo Suzuki

Tatsuya Miyadera

Shuji Hirai

Yasuhiro Nihei

Shigeaki Imai

Nobuyuki Arai

Shohta Kobashigawa

Terumichi Ochi

Hirotoshi Nakayama

Yoichi Ichikawa

Asato Tamura

Hiroto Tachibana

Takuei Nishio

Rie Hirayama

Shigeru Uekusa

Takefumi Takizawa

An image processing device includes: a first matching circuit to determine whether an image matrix of image data of a first resolution matches a first pattern, and output a first determination result; a first converting circuit to, if the image matrix matches the first pattern, replace a target pixel of the image matrix with a first pixel pattern of a second resolution, and output first image data of the second resolution; a second converting circuit to convert the image data of the first resolution into image data of the second resolution, and output second image data of the second resolution; a detecting circuit to detect whether the target pixel is included in a fine line structure, and output a detection result; and a selecting circuit to output one of the first image data and the second image data based on the first determination result and the detection result.

Image processing device implements image processing method to perform thinning and smoothing process on image data converted from first resolution to second resolution

An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor drum, a latent-image forming device, a developing device, a density detecting device, and a processing device. The density detecting device is configured to detect densities at a plurality of positions in a main-scanning direction on a developed image. The processing device is configured to acquire at least two light-amount correction tables respectively associated with at least two positions of the plurality of positions in the main-scanning direction on the developed image, the light-amount correction tables being for reducing density variations in a sub-scanning direction at the at least two positions, and correct, for each scan, a set point for setting an amount of light of a light source based on a difference in corresponding correction data between two light-amount correction tables respectively associated with two adjacent positions of the at least two light-amount correction tables.

Image forming apparatus and image forming method

An image forming apparatus includes an image processor, a converter, a light source driver, an identifying unit, and a pattern generator. The image processor generates image data of first resolution and generates tag information indicating whether to perform image processing and associated with pixels of the image data of first resolution. The converter converts the image data of first resolution to image data of a higher second resolution. The light source driver drives a light source using a modulation signal corresponding to the image data of second resolution. The identifying unit identifies a target pixel to be subjected to image processing in the image data of first resolution based on the tag information. The pattern generator generates an image-processed pixel pattern of the second resolution according to the target pixel. The converter converts the target pixel in the image data of first resolution to the generated image-processed pixel pattern.

Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus includes: a photoconductor drum; an optical scanner, having a light source, configured to scan the photoconductor drum with light to form a latent image; a developer configured to develop an image, based on the latent image; a cycle detector configured to detect a rotation cycle of the photoconductor drum, to produce a cyclic signal indicative of the rotation cycle; a density detector configured to detect density of the image; a measurer configured to measure the rotation cycle at each rotation, based on the cyclic signal; a generator configured to generate, based on the density, a correcting value for correcting intensity of the light, the correcting value having a correction cycle based on a measurement result of the measurer; and an adjuster configured to adjust the correction cycle based on the rotation cycle measured at each rotation, so that the correction cycle matches the rotation cycle.

Image forming apparatus and method for forming an image

An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor, an optical scanner, a developing device, a density detector, and an exposure corrector. The photoconductor is rotatable in a direction of rotation. The optical scanner includes a light source, and drives the light source to form a latent image on a surface of the photoconductor. The developing device develops the latent image to form an image. The density detector detects variation in density of the image in the direction of rotation of the photoconductor. The exposure corrector generates exposure correction data for the optical scanner to reduce the variation in density. The exposure corrector adjusts output of the optical scanner according to the exposure correction data at a time different from a time when the exposure corrector updates the exposure correction data.

Image forming apparatus optical scanning controller, and method for correcting exposure

An image forming apparatus includes: an image processor configured to perform first image processing on image data having a first resolution and to add tag data to a target pixel where second image processing is to be performed; a resolution converter configured to convert the image data into image data having a second resolution higher than the first resolution, and to perform the second image processing based on arrangement of the image data having the first resolution and the tag data; a pulse generator configured to generate an on-off modulation signal and an application-current switching signal in accordance with the image data having undergone the second image processing; and a light source driver configured to drive the light source in accordance with a current setting value output from an application current setter depending on the application-current switching signal and the on-off modulation signal.

Image forming apparatus and method for driving light source

An image processing apparatus includes: a first inverter to output binary image data having first resolution, as image data having pixel values that are inverted or image data having unprocessed pixel values, in accordance with an inversion signal; a thinning processor to convert the image data output from the first inverter from the first resolution to second resolution and perform a thinning process of thinning pixels of edge portions of the image data in units of the second resolution; and a second inverter to output the image data having the second resolution for which the thinning process is performed, as image data having pixel values that are inverted or image data having unprocessed pixel values, in accordance with the inversion signal.

Image processing apparatus and image processing method

An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductor, a light source, and circuitry that receives: first image data including first pixels each indicating image density or one of turning on and off the light source; and tag data indicating an attribute of each first pixels. The circuitry sets specific data to identify a first target pixel subjected to change out of the first pixels, converts the first image data into second image data having a higher resolution than that of the first image data, and controls the light source according to the second image data to form an image. In conversion, the circuitry identifies a second target pixel corresponding to the first target pixel out of second pixels of the second image data according to the specific data and the tag data, and changes the second target pixel into a pixel to turn on the light source.

A light source drive control device includes: an image data generating part that generates line-thinned image data having been subjected to line thinning processing for thinning an edge pixel in image data by a first pixel width; an intensity information generating part that generates intensity information including a first intensity at which a pixel not included in a set second pixel width of an edge in the line-thinned image data is exposed and a second intensity at which a pixel included in the second pixel width is exposed and which is higher than the first intensity; and a light source driving part that drives a light source based on a light source modulation signal generated according to the line-thinned image data and a drive current data switched based on a drive current switching signal generated based on the intensity information.

Light source drive control device, image forming apparatus, light source drive control method, and computer program product

An image forming apparatus that forms an image according to light emitted from a light source is provided. The image forming apparatus includes: a first image processor that performs image processing on image data having a first resolution and outputs the resulting image data; a resolution converter that acquires the image data having the first resolution output from the first image processor and converts the image data to image data having a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution; a modulation signal generator that modulates the image data having the second resolution according to a clock signal to thereby generate a modulation signal; a light source driver that drives the light source according to the modulation signal; and a second image processor that performs image processing on the image data having the second resolution to be modulated to the modulation signal.

An image forming apparatus includes: a photoconductor drum; an optical scanning device that drives a light source to scan a surface of the photoconductor drum and form a latent image on the surface; a developing device that develops the latent image; and a density detector to detect density variation of an image in a rotation direction of the photoconductor drum, the image being developed by the developing device. The optical scanning device includes a processing device that is capable of correcting a driving signal for driving the light source on a basis of an output signal of the density detector to adjust at least either one of a correction period and a correction strength of correction data for the driving signal for a rotation period of the photoconductor drum.

Image forming apparatus to correct a driving signal for driving a light source

An image forming apparatus includes: a latent image forming unit that forms a latent image on a latent image bearer with light from a light source; and a correction data generating unit that includes: an acquiring unit that acquires, for each position, a correction value of an intensity of the light source to equalize a density distribution of a latent image; a quantizing unit that generates a correction data for each position by quantizing a correction value for each position; and an excessive correction suppressing unit that outputs the correction data after reducing an amount of change from an immediately preceding latent image formation position, with respect to a position at which an absolute value of a restored value indicating a correction amount and generated based on the correction data exceeds an absolute value of the correction value.

Image forming apparatus and correction data generation method which corrects the intensity of a light source which forms a latent image

An image forming apparatus for forming an image by scanning an image bearer with light modulated in accordance with image information includes a light source configured to emit the light and a control device configured to control the light source in accordance with the image information. The control device sets light emission duration of the light source for forming a particular pixel in the image to be shorter than light emission duration of the light source for forming a normal pixel, which is a pixel other than the particular pixel irk the image, and sets light emission intensity of the light source for forming the particular pixel to be higher than light emission intensity of the light source for forming the normal pixel.

An image forming apparatus forms an image by optical scanning. The image forming apparatus includes: a light source; an image processing unit that processes image data; a modulation signal generation unit that generates a light source modulation signal; a light source drive unit that drives the light source based on the light source modulation signal; and a correction value identifying unit that identifies a correction value for correcting a registration error of an image to be formed. The image processing unit performs first image processing of image data with first resolution based on a correction value identified by the correction value identifying unit, the first image processing including deformation processing and gradation processing of the image data. The modulation signal generation unit converts image data processed in the image processing unit into image data with resolution higher than the first resolution and performs second image processing.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Muneaki Iwata