Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Norio Michiie

Yasuhiro Hattori

Hiromitsu Shimizu

Takao Okamura

Kiyotaka Moteki

Yuriko Obata

Susumu Imakawa

Hiroshi Mori

Makoto Hino

Katsumi Yamaguchi

Hiroyasu Sumida

Hiroomi Motohashi

Toshiya Tagawa

Takahiko Uno

Moriyuki Koike

Hisashi Ishiguro

Kouichi Kanaya

Tomohiro Nakajima

Kenichi Ono

Nobuaki Kubo

Takeshi Yamakawa

Yoshinobu Takeyama

Hiroshi Arai

Tsuyoshi Endoh

Tomofumi Harada

Tsuyoshi Endo

Takashi Mama

Sachiko Nishikino

Tomohumi Harada

A driving unit drives an illuminating light. An image pick-up device reads a document in a main-scanning direction. An optical unit projects an image of the document onto the image pick-up device. An extracting unit extracts image signals at a plurality of points in the main-scanning direction of a first position and a second position in a sub-scanning direction. A document detecting unit creates binary data indicating a presence of the document at each of the points based on the image signals extracted. A size detecting unit determines a size of the document in the main-scanning direction based on a distribution of presence and absence of the document.

Document reading apparatus, image processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, and copying machine

An opening detector detects a state of a platen whether the platen is 'opened' at a level equal to or above a set opening degree or 'closed' at a level less than the set opening degree. A reading controller starts lighting of an illumination lamp in response to a change of the state of the platen from the &#x201c;opened&#x201d; to the &#x201c;closed&#x201d;. A rising detector detects a rising of light intensity of the illumination lamp. A size detector reads an image signal of an imaging element after the rising detector detects a rising of the light intensity, determines presence of a document in a main scanning direction, and decides a document size in the main scanning direction.

An image information apparatus includes image input devices that read images on both sides of an original in parallel, a local memory that temporarily stores one or more image data read by the image input devices, and a hard disk device that stores the same image data that is stored in the local memory. A PCI bus, which serves as a transfer path for the image data on both the sides, and a PCI transfer controller, which controls communication via the PCI bus, are provided between the image input devices and the local memory. In addition, transfer units, which pass the image data on both the sides read by the image input devices to the PCI transfer controller in parallel and individually, is provided on the image input devices.

Image information apparatus

A first storage stores input image data. A second storage stores image data read from the first storage. A control part determines, with respect to a timing at which data transfer of image data into the first storage, a data transfer of the said image data from the first storage to the second storage, based on a rate of data transfer and writing of the image data into the first storage and rate of data transfer and writing of the image data into the second storage from the first storage.

Image processing apparatus, and, control method and control device therefor

A data processing device is disclosed. The device is provided with a plurality of data processing units; a first memory shared for storing data, to which each of the data processing units makes an access so as to perform an operation; a transfer completion time designation unit for designating a transfer completion time according to need, within which transferring the data in response to the accesses made by the data processing units should be completed; an expected transfer completion time calculation unit for calculating an expected transfer completion time needed for completing the data transfer in response to the accesses made by the data processing units, taking current access status of the first memory into consideration; and an access management unit for managing the access to the first memory based on the transfer completion time and the expected transfer completion time.

Data processing device characterized in its data transfer method, program for executing on a computer to perform functions of the device, and computer readable recording medium storing such a program

An image processing apparatus including an image storage for storing image data is disclosed. A first managing section generates first management information for managing the image data, which are to be stored in the image storage, on a single unit image basis. A second managing section generates second management data for managing one or more unit images as a single image file. An image data managing method for the image processing apparatus is also disclosed.

Image processing apparatus

An image processing apparatus is provided that includes a primary memory unit to buffer image data, a secondary memory unit to store the image data transferred from the primary memory unit, and a memory control unit that controls both memory units. The memory control unit transfers, if a plurality of items of image data are to be transferred, at least one of the items of image data divisionally from the primary memory unit to the secondary memory unit. When image data are transferred from the primary memory unit to the secondary memory unit, the memory control unit transfers a unit image either in a block or divisionally in multiple parts, and the memory control unit simultaneously transfers a plurality of images divisionally, the images being divided into varying numbers of parts so that each input and output of an image can evenly share the time of the secondary memory unit and a plurality of images can be efficiently transferred in parallel in a short time.

Information processing apparatus

In a data processing apparatus, an image memory has a descriptor region and an image region, the image region storing a plurality of blocks of image data, the descriptor region storing a corresponding number of descriptor information blocks for the plurality of image data blocks. A DMA controller controls DMA data transfer of the image data blocks from the image region according to each descriptor information block in the descriptor region. The DMA controller comprises a register which stores one of the descriptor information blocks from the descriptor region of the image memory, and a control unit which determines, at a time of occurrence of a CPU interrupt, a start timing of a DMA data output operation of the DMA controller during a DMA data input operation of the DMA controller when an image editing request contained in input image data is received, the CPU interrupt being caused to occur by an interrupt request bit of the descriptor information block read from the register.

Data processing apparatus and DMA data transfer method

An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of memory devices, each including at least one image memory which stores image data. A controller controls input and output operations for the image data relative to the at least one image memory. An image reading device generates image data by scanning and reading an original document. At least one data input device inputs image data generated by an external source. A plurality of input paths transmit the image data generated by the image reading device and the image data input by the at least one data input device. An image memory switching device connects the plurality of input paths to the plurality of memory devices, receives the image data generated by the image reading device and the image data input by the at least one data input device, and switches the plurality of memory devices to transmit consecutive image data, which is consecutively sent through one of the plurality of input paths, to a same memory device among the plurality of memory devices when the image memory switching device receives the image data and the image data through the plurality of input paths.

Method and apparatus for image formation that can handle simultaneously input data without causing a delay

An image processing apparatus including an input device for inputting image data, a storage device for storing image data from the input device, and a controlling device. The controlling device controls the parallel operations of a) writing image data into the storage device, and 2) reading image data from the storage device. Therefore, fast output is possible. Moreover, in a book copying mode, when copying two facing-pages with a scanner, copies of the first of two facing-pages are printed while the second of the two facing pages is scanned. As a result, this apparatus and the corresponding method enable a document to be changed easily and prevent extended holding times by an operator when using book copy mode.

Image forming apparatus which forms an image based on stored image data

An image forming apparatus for detecting and eliminating avoidable image reading operations includes a scanner for reading an original document, a memory for storing read image data, a printer for forming an image in accordance with the image data read from the memory, a ten-key pad for inputting instructions specifying a total number of sets of copies to be made, various functions to be performed by the apparatus for changing how the copying is performed and a sample set command by which the apparatus enters into a sample set command mode wherein one copy of the original document is output as a sample copy, and a controller for determining whether to use the image previously stored in the memory to output the rest of the total number of sets of copies to be made or performing an operation of reading the original document again depending upon types of functions input via the ten-key pad during the sample set command mode.

Image forming apparatus and method for detecting and eliminating

A multi-beam light source device which can be used in an optical scanning device has less optical cross-talk and an improved stability in frequency response. The multi-beam light source device comprises a semiconductor laser array having a plurality of light emitting sources, a light receiving element array having a plurality of light receiving elements and a half mirror splitting a light beam emitted by the semiconductor laser array into at least two split light beams. A light converging unit is provided for converging one of the split light beams at a predetermined focal point. The light receiving element array is positioned at the focal point of the light converging unit for receiving the concentrated one of the split light beams. A controlling circuit is provided for controlling an output of the semiconductor laser array in accordance with the amount of light received by the light receiving element array. Optical cross-talk generated between the split light beams emitted by adjacent ones of the light emitting sources is suppressed by an optical cross-talk suppressing unit.

Multi-beam light source device and optical scanning apparatus using the

A scanning time after a detection signal from a first laser beam detection sensor is inputted until a detection sensor from a second laser beam detection sensor is inputted by a counter, flip-flops, a corrected write frequency f1 is computed by a control circuit from a value T1 corresponding to the measured scanning time and a function F (T1) for computing a correction factor using the basic write frequency f0 and the value T1 above and through the equation of 'f1=f0.times.F (T1)', and the write clock frequency is corrected by a clock generation circuit, thus the write clock frequency being controlled according to a change in the scanning speed.

Image forming apparatus with frequency corrector

An optical recording apparatus comprises a laser diode array including a plurality of laser diodes for producing a plurality of laser beams in response to a drive signal indicative of an image, an optical system for scanning the laser beams on a surface of a photosensitive body, a beam splitting unit for splitting the laser beams produced by the laser diodes to form control laser beams; a driver for driving each of the laser diodes in the laser diode array, an optical detection unit provided for detecting the control laser beams, the optical detection unit including a plurality of photodetectors in correspondence to the laser diodes in the laser diode array in a one-to-one relationship, each of the photodetectors producing an output signal indicative of an optical power of the control laser beam incident thereto, and a control unit supplied with the output signals from the photodetectors in the optical detection unit for controlling the driver such that each of the laser diodes in the laser diode array produces the laser beam with a controlled optical power.

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Tokyo, Japan

Norio Michiie