Image processing device, control method, and program

Abstract

This prevents excessive correction when adjusting the line width of an image, thereby suppressing image quality degradation. [Solution] The image processing apparatus 1 includes a state detection unit 52 that detects multiple states during image formation, a correction amount determination unit 53 that determines a line width correction amount for correcting the line width of the image according to each of the multiple states detected by the state detection unit 52, and a line width correction unit 51 that corrects the line width of the image based on the line width correction amount determined by the correction amount determination unit 53. The correction amount determination unit 53 determines a line width correction amount that is smaller in degree than when line width correction is performed based on correction amounts that are individually determined according to each of the multiple states.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, a control method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] When an image processing apparatus such as an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) forms an image on printing paper or the like, the line width tends to become thick due to toner splashing and bleeding. In order to reproduce a line width of an appropriate thickness, it is necessary to correct the line width of the data to be printed in consideration of the influence of toner splashing.

[0003] Conventionally, in order to reproduce a line width of an appropriate thickness, an apparatus has been proposed that detects the film thickness of a photoreceptor and adjusts the line width according to the detected film thickness (for example, Patent Document 1). Conventionally, an apparatus has also been proposed that detects environmental conditions with an environmental sensor and determines a correction amount according to the detected environmental conditions to adjust the line width of a character image or a line image (for example, Patent Document 2). Further, conventionally, an apparatus has been proposed that identifies the paper type of the paper used for image formation and adjusts the line image according to the paper type (for example, Patent Document 3).

[0004] By the way, the degree of toner splashing varies according to a plurality of factors such as the state of the apparatus, the environment such as temperature and humidity, and the type of paper used. However, each of the above-described conventional techniques determines the correction amount of the line width based on one state such as the film thickness of the photoreceptor or environmental conditions. Therefore, it is impossible to appropriately cope with the line width that changes due to a plurality of factors, and it is impossible to reproduce a line width of an appropriate thickness.

[0005] By the way, it is considered that if the above-described plurality of conventional techniques are simply combined, it is possible to cope with a line width that changes due to a plurality of factors. However, in that case, if the line width correction is performed with a correction amount obtained by simply adding up the plurality of correction amounts determined by individual factors, a phenomenon occurs in which the correction is too strong.

[0006] Figure 16 illustrates line width correction when conventional techniques are simply combined. Figure 16(a) shows line width correction due to the first factor. In Figure 16(a), the line width of the data to be printed is corrected to be thinner by correction amount K1, taking into account toner splatter due to the first factor. Therefore, the edges of the lines in the corrected data are located inside the edges of the lines in the data to be printed. When image formation is performed based on the corrected data, toner splatter occurs due to the first factor, and the toner scatters outside the edge position of the corrected data. As a result, the printed image will have lines of the same thickness as the data to be printed due to the toner splatter.

[0007] Figure 16(b) shows line width correction due to the second factor. In Figure 16(b), the line width of the print target data is corrected to be thinner by correction amount K2, taking into account toner splatter due to the second factor. Therefore, the edges of the lines in the corrected data are located inside the edges of the lines in the print target data. When image formation is performed based on the corrected data, toner splatter occurs due to the second factor, and the toner scatters outside the edge position of the corrected data. As a result, the printed image will have lines of the same thickness as the print target data due to the toner splatter.

[0008] Figure 16(c) shows line width correction when toner splatter occurs simultaneously due to the first and second factors. In this case, the line width is corrected using a correction amount K1+K2, which is the sum of the correction amount K1 due to the first factor and the correction amount K2 due to the second factor, and corrected data is generated. When image formation is performed based on the corrected data, toner splatter occurs due to the first and second factors. However, the amount of toner splatter decreases the further it is from the edge position of the corrected data. Therefore, the toner does not adhere to the original edge position indicated by the data to be printed. In this case, the line width of the printed image becomes narrower than the original line width. In other words, there is a problem in that the correction to narrow the line width is applied too strongly, resulting in image quality degradation.

[0009] The above described correction to thin line width. However, the same applies when performing correction processing to thicken line width. For example, if the line width tends to thin depending on the condition of the device, it is necessary to thicken the line width of the data to be printed in order to reproduce the appropriate line width. In this case, if there is a tendency for the line width to thin due to multiple factors, simply adding up the correction amounts determined based on each individual factor will result in an overly strong correction, causing a deterioration in image quality. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-148610 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-33763 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-290612 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0011] This invention was made to solve the above problems. Specifically, the purpose of this invention is to provide an image processing apparatus, a control method, and a program that can prevent excessive correction when performing line width correction on an image, thereby suppressing image quality degradation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] To achieve the above objective, the invention according to claim 1 is an image processing apparatus comprising: a state detection unit for detecting a plurality of states during image formation; a correction amount determination unit for determining a line width correction amount for correcting the line width of an image according to each of the plurality of states detected by the state detection unit; and a line width correction unit for correcting the line width of an image based on the line width correction amount determined by the correction amount determination unit, wherein the correction amount determination unit determines a line width correction amount that is smaller in degree of correction than when line width correction is performed based on a correction amount individually determined according to each of the plurality of states.

[0013] The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the image processing apparatus of claim 1, the correction amount determination unit determines a line width correction amount that is smaller in the event that the degree of correction when line width correction is performed based on a correction amount that is individually determined according to each of the plurality of states becomes larger than a predetermined amount.

[0014] The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that, in the image processing apparatus of claim 1, the correction amount determination unit obtains a first correction amount corresponding to a first state detected by the state detection unit and a second correction amount corresponding to a second state detected by the state detection unit as the line width correction amount, and modifies each of the first correction amount and the second correction amount so that the degree of correction becomes smaller.

[0015] The invention according to claim 4 is an image processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the correction amount determination unit determines a correction amount for the first correction amount based on the second correction amount, and determines a correction amount for the second correction amount based on the first correction amount.

[0016] The invention according to claim 5 is an image processing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the line width correction unit is configured to sequentially perform line width correction based on the corrected first correction amount and the corrected second correction amount, respectively, in the correction amount determination unit.

[0017] The invention according to claim 6 is an image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction amount determination unit manages table information associating the plurality of states with the line width correction amount, and reads out the line width correction amount corresponding to the plurality of states from the table information.

[0018] The invention according to claim 7 is an image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction amount determination unit holds a correlation function that takes the plurality of states as input, and calculates the line width correction amount using the correlation function.

[0019] The invention according to claim 8 is an image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction amount determination unit holds a weighting coefficient for each of the plurality of states, and reduces the degree of correction by applying the weighting coefficient to the correction amount individually determined according to each of the plurality of states.

[0020] The invention according to claim 9 is an image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a photoreceptor on which a toner image is formed, and the plurality of states include the state of the film thickness of the photoreceptor.

[0021] The invention according to claim 10 is an image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an environment sensor that detects the state of the environment, and the plurality of states include the state of the environment detected by the environment sensor.

[0022] The invention according to claim 11 is an image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of states include the state of the paper type used during image formation.

[0023] The invention according to claim 12 is an image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transfer member that transfers a toner image, and the plurality of states include the state of the transfer member.

[0024] The invention according to claim 13 is a control method, comprising a state detection step of detecting a plurality of states during image formation, a correction amount determination step of determining a line width correction amount for correcting the line width of an image according to each of the plurality of states detected in the state detection step, and a line width correction step of correcting the line width of the image based on the line width correction amount determined in the correction amount determination step. The correction amount determination step includes a step of determining the line width correction amount with a smaller correction degree than when the line width correction is performed based on the correction amounts individually determined according to each of the plurality of states.

[0025] The invention according to claim 14 is a program executed in an image processing apparatus, causing the image processing apparatus to execute a state detection step of detecting a plurality of states during image formation, a correction amount determination step of determining a line width correction amount for correcting the line width of an image according to each of the plurality of states detected in the state detection step, and a line width correction step of correcting the line width of the image based on the line width correction amount determined in the correction amount determination step. The correction amount determination step includes a step of determining the line width correction amount with a smaller correction degree than when the line width correction is performed based on the correction amounts individually determined according to each of the plurality of states.

Advantages of the Invention

[0026] According to the present invention, when performing line width correction of an image, it is possible to prevent excessive correction and suppress image quality deterioration.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027] [Figure 1] It is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an image processing apparatus. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing a configuration example of a control unit. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing an example of line width correction. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing the state of an image processing apparatus detected by a state detection unit. [Figure 5] This figure shows the effect of multiple states detected by the state detection unit on the line width. [Figure 6] This figure shows the individual correction amounts corresponding to each of the multiple states. [Figure 7] This diagram shows examples of how to determine the degree of correction when considering two representative correction quantities. [Figure 8] This diagram illustrates the concept of the correction amount determined by the correction amount determination unit. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example configuration of the correction amount determination unit and the line width correction unit. [Figure 10] This figure shows another example configuration of the correction amount determination unit and the line width correction unit. [Figure 11] This diagram illustrates the concept of processing performed by the correction amount integration unit. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of line width correction to make lines thinner. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example of line width correction to make lines thicker. [Figure 14] This figure shows an example of table information used to calculate the integrated correction amount. [Figure 15] This flowchart shows an example of a processing procedure performed in an image processing device. [Figure 16] This diagram illustrates line width correction when conventional technologies are simply combined. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0028] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments described below, elements common to all are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations of these elements will be omitted.

[0029] (Preferred embodiment) Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an image processing device 1, which is one embodiment of the present invention. This image processing device 1 is configured, for example, as an MFP (Multifunction Peripherals) and has multiple functions such as scanning and printing. The image processing device 1 has a scanner unit 2 at the top of the main body 1a. The scanner unit 2 optically reads the image of a document set by the user and generates image data. The image processing device 1 has an operation panel 3 on the front side of the scanner unit 2. The operation panel 3 is the user interface when the user uses the image processing device 1. The operation panel 3 displays an operation screen that the user can operate and accepts operations from the user. The image processing device 1 also has a printer unit 4 at the bottom of the main body 1a. The printer unit 4 forms and outputs an image on a sheet such as printing paper.

[0030] As shown in Figure 1, the printer unit 4 comprises a paper feed and transport unit 10, an image forming unit 20, and a fuser unit 30. The printer unit 4 also includes a control unit 6 that comprehensively controls the operation of the image processing device 1. Furthermore, the printer unit 4 includes an environmental sensor 8 that detects environmental conditions such as humidity and temperature inside the device.

[0031] The paper feed transport unit 10 feeds sheets 9 from one of the multiple paper feed trays 10a, 10b, and 10c, and transports the sheets 9 along a transport path 13 formed inside the printer unit 4. The multiple paper feed trays 10a, 10b, and 10c may each contain sheets 9 of different paper types, or they may each contain sheets 9 of the same type. For example, the sheets 9 that can be contained in the paper feed trays 10a, 10b, and 10c may include plain paper, moisture-absorbing paper, cardboard, coated paper, etc.

[0032] Each paper tray 10a, 10b, and 10c is equipped with a pickup roller 11 and a paper feed roller 12. The paper feed and transport unit 10 drives the pickup roller 11 and paper feed roller 12 located on one of the paper trays designated by the user, and feeds the sheets 9 toward the transport path 13. The paper feed and transport unit 10 then transports the sheets 9 that have been sent toward the transport path 13 along the direction of arrow F1.

[0033] The transport path 13 is equipped with a timing roller 15, a secondary transfer roller 16, a fixing device 30, and a paper discharge roller 18. The transport path 13 may also be equipped with a media sensor for measuring the paper thickness of the transported sheet 9.

[0034] The timing roller 15 is composed of a pair of rollers. The timing roller 15 is a roller that adjusts the timing for feeding the sheet 9 to the secondary transfer position by the secondary transfer roller 16. When the leading edge of the sheet 9 fed from the paper trays 10a, 10b, and 10c reaches the position of the timing roller 15, the paper feed transport unit 10 temporarily stops transporting the sheet 9. The paper feed transport unit 10 then drives the timing roller 15 in accordance with the timing at which the image that has been primary transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 22 in the image forming unit 20 is transported to the secondary transfer position, and transports the sheet 9 toward the secondary transfer roller 16. The sheet 9 fed from the timing roller 15 has its image secondary transferred as it passes the secondary transfer position by the secondary transfer roller 16. The sheet 9 with the secondary transferred image then moves toward the fixing unit 17.

[0035] The image forming unit 20 includes image forming units 21Y, 21M, 21C, and 21K corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), respectively, and an intermediate transfer belt 22.

[0036] The image forming unit 21Y is a unit that forms a Y-colored image. The image forming unit 21Y comprises a photoreceptor 25 formed as a cylindrical drum, a charger 26, an exposure unit 27, and a developer unit 28. The photoreceptor 25 has a photosensitive layer on the drum surface and rotates in a predetermined direction (clockwise). The charger 26, exposure unit 27, and developer unit 28 are arranged around the photoreceptor 25. The charger 26 charges the surface of the photoreceptor 25 to a predetermined charge. The exposure unit 27 exposes the charged surface of the photoreceptor 25 based on image data, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor 25. The developer unit 28 supplies a developer containing toner to the surface of the photoreceptor 25 and develops the electrostatic latent image with toner. As a result, a toner image corresponding to the image included in the print target data is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 25. The other image forming units 21M, 21C, and 21K have the same configuration as image forming unit 21Y, differing only in the color of the toner supplied to the photoreceptor 25. In other words, multiple image forming units 21Y, 21M, 21C, and 21K, all having the same configuration, are arranged horizontally at predetermined intervals.

[0037] The intermediate transfer belt 22 is one of the transfer members that transfers the toner image. The intermediate transfer belt 22 is configured as an endless belt positioned above the image forming units 21Y, 21M, 21C, and 21K. The intermediate transfer belt 22 is stretched between a drive roller 23 positioned opposite the secondary transfer roller 16 and a driven roller 24 positioned at a predetermined horizontal distance from the drive roller 23. As the drive roller 23 is rotated counterclockwise, the intermediate transfer belt 22 moves in a circular motion in the direction indicated by arrow F2. The intermediate transfer belt 22 contacts the secondary transfer roller 16 at the position of the drive roller 23. The secondary transfer roller 16 is also one of the transfer members that transfers the toner image.

[0038] Inside the intermediate transfer belt 22, primary transfer rollers 29 are provided at positions facing each image forming unit 21Y, 21M, 21C, and 21K. The primary transfer rollers 29 are also one of the transfer members that transfer the toner image. The primary transfer rollers 29 press the intermediate transfer belt 22 against the surface of the photoreceptor 25 of each image forming unit 21Y, 21M, 21C, and 21K. In this state, a predetermined transfer voltage is applied to the primary transfer rollers 29. As a result, the image (toner image) formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 25 is primary transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 22. Each image forming unit 21Y, 21M, 21C, and 21K primary transfers the Y, M, C, and K images sequentially onto the intermediate transfer belt 22. As a result, a color image is formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 22. The image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 22 is secondary transferred to the sheet 9 at the position of the secondary transfer roller 16. In other words, when a predetermined transfer voltage is applied to the secondary transfer roller 16, the image from the intermediate transfer belt 22 is secondarily transferred to the sheet 9.

[0039] The fixing device 30 fixes the image to the sheet 9 by applying heat and pressure to the sheet 9 on which the image has been secondarily transferred. The fixing device 30 has a heating roller 31 and a pressure roller 32. The heating roller 31 and the pressure roller 32 are in contact with each other to form a nip. The heating roller 31 and the pressure roller 32 sandwich the sheet 9 between their nip portions and apply heat and pressure. The heating treatment by the heating roller 31 melts the toner transferred to the sheet 9, and the pressure treatment by the pressure roller 32 fixes the melted toner to the sheet 9. The sheet 9 on which the image has been fixed in the fixing device 30 is discharged via the paper discharge roller 18 onto the paper discharge tray 5 formed on the upper part of the printer unit 4.

[0040] Figure 2 shows an example configuration of the control unit 6. The control unit 6 comprises a hardware processor 40, a storage unit 41, and a network interface 42. The hardware processor 40 reads and executes the program 43 stored in the storage unit 41. The storage unit 41 is a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD). The network interface 42 connects the image processing device 1 to a network such as a LAN.

[0041] The hardware processor 40 functions as a data acquisition unit 50, a line width correction unit 51, a state detection unit 52, a correction amount determination unit 53, and a job control unit 54 by executing the program 43.

[0042] The data acquisition unit 50 acquires image data to be printed. For example, the data acquisition unit 50 acquires image data to be printed via the network interface 42. Alternatively, the data acquisition unit 50 may acquire image data generated when the scanner unit 2 reads the image of the original document as data to be printed. Once the data acquisition unit 50 has acquired image data to be printed, it outputs that image data to the line width correction unit 51.

[0043] The line width correction unit 51 corrects the line width of lines included in the image. Figure 3 shows an example of line width correction. Figure 3(a) shows a line 60 included in the image of the data to be printed. The line 60 is composed of 6 dots in the width direction and has a line width W. The gradation of each dot is D.

[0044] When the line width correction unit 51 performs line width correction on the image shown in Figure 3(a) to make the line 60 thinner, the image shown in Figure 3(b) is generated. In the line width corrected line 60 shown in Figure 3(b), the gradation values ​​of the two outermost dots of the line 60 are reduced. Therefore, the line 60 in the image shown in Figure 3(b) appears thinner than in the image shown in Figure 3(a). For example, if image formation is performed based on the image shown in Figure 3(b) and toner splatter occurs, the density of the two outermost dots of the line 60 increases. Therefore, the line width W of the line 60 printed on the sheet 9 will be about the same as the line width W of the original image shown in Figure 3(a).

[0045] Furthermore, when the line width correction unit 51 performs line width correction on the image shown in Figure 3(a) to make the line 60 thicker, the image shown in Figure 3(c) is generated. In the line width corrected line 60 shown in Figure 3(c), the gradation values ​​of the two dots located outside the original line 60 have increased. Therefore, the line 60 appears thicker in the image shown in Figure 3(c) than in the image shown in Figure 3(a). For example, if image formation is performed based on the image shown in Figure 3(c), and the phenomenon of the line 60 becoming thinner occurs, the density of the two dots located outside the line 60 decreases. Therefore, the line width W of the line 60 printed on the sheet 9 will be about the same as the line width W of the original image shown in Figure 3(a).

[0046] The line width correction unit 51 suppresses image quality degradation during image formation, such as the lines 60 becoming thicker or thinner, by performing the line width correction as described above. The line width correction unit 51 is configured to perform line width correction based on the correction amount output from the state detection unit 52 and the correction amount determination unit 53.

[0047] The state detection unit 52 detects the state of the image processing device 1 during image formation. There are multiple states of the image processing device 1 that the state detection unit 52 detects. Figure 4 is a diagram showing the states of the image processing device 1 detected by the state detection unit 52. As shown in Figure 4, the state detection unit 52 detects the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25, humidity, paper type, and the state of the transfer material during image formation. The film thickness of the photoreceptor 25, humidity, paper type, and the state of the transfer material are all factors that affect the line width of the image printed on the sheet 9 during image formation.

[0048] Figure 5 shows the effect of multiple states detected by the state detection unit 52 on line width. Figure 5(a) shows the relationship between the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25 and line width. For example, as the number of prints in the image processing device 1 increases, the photosensitive layer of the photoreceptor 25 gradually peels off, and the film thickness decreases. For example, a new photoreceptor 25 has a thick film thickness, resulting in a large amount of toner splatter. In contrast, a photoreceptor 25 that has been used for a long period of time has a thin film thickness, resulting in a small amount of toner splatter. Therefore, as the number of prints in the image processing device 1 increases and the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25 decreases, the line width printed on the sheet 9 gradually becomes thinner. In other words, the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25 affects the line width printed on the sheet 9.

[0049] Therefore, when the data acquisition unit 50 acquires the data to be printed, the state detection unit 52 detects the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25. For example, the current flowing through the photoreceptor 25 during image formation changes according to the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25. Therefore, the state detection unit 52 detects the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25 as one of the states of the apparatus during the current image formation, based on the current that flowed through the photoreceptor 25 during the previous image formation.

[0050] Figure 5(b) shows the relationship between humidity and line width. For example, the adhesion of toner changes depending on the humidity during image formation, and therefore the line width printed on sheet 9 also changes. When humidity is high, the image tends to become lighter and the line width becomes thinner. For example, if sheet 9 used for image formation is hygroscopic paper, the line width tends to become thinner because it contains a lot of moisture. Conversely, when humidity is low, the image tends to become darker and the line width becomes thicker. In other words, humidity during image formation affects the line width printed on sheet 9.

[0051] Therefore, when the data acquisition unit 50 acquires the data to be printed, the state detection unit 52 acquires environmental information such as humidity and temperature from the environmental sensor 8. The state detection unit 52 then detects humidity as one of the states of the device during image formation.

[0052] Figure 5(c) shows the relationship between paper thickness and line width. For example, if the sheet 9 used during image formation is made of thick paper, the transferability is worse than with plain paper, resulting in more toner splatter and a tendency for thicker line widths. Therefore, the paper thickness of sheet 9 affects the line width printed on sheet 9. Also, if sheet 9 is made of coated paper, toner does not penetrate into the interior of the sheet, so the line width tends to be thicker than with plain paper. Therefore, the type of sheet 9 (paper type) used for image formation affects the line width printed on sheet 9.

[0053] Therefore, the state detection unit 52 detects the paper type of the sheet 9 as one of the states of the device during image formation, based on the type of sheet 9 specified by the user via the operation panel 3 and the detection results from the media sensor.

[0054] Figure 5(d) shows the relationship between the transfer components and line width. As the transfer components, such as the intermediate transfer belt 22, primary transfer roller 29, and secondary transfer roller 16, are used for a longer period, the output of the transfer voltage decreases. As a result, the amount of toner splatter increases, and the line width printed on the sheet 9 tends to become thicker. Therefore, the condition of the transfer components during image formation affects the line width printed on the sheet 9.

[0055] Therefore, the state detection unit 52 detects the state of the transfer member as one of the states of the device during image formation, based on the cumulative number of printed sheets in the image processing device 1.

[0056] When the state detection unit 52 detects multiple states as described above, it notifies the correction amount determination unit 53 of these multiple states.

[0057] The correction amount determination unit 53 determines the correction amount for correcting the line width of the image based on a plurality of states detected by the state detection unit 52. For example, the correction amount determination unit 53 determines the correction amount for correcting the line width individually according to each of the plurality of states detected by the state detection unit 52. The correction amount determination unit 53 then determines the degree of correction when line width correction is performed based on the individual correction amount, and if the correction is too strong, it determines a line width correction amount with a reduced degree of correction.

[0058] Figure 6 shows individual correction amounts corresponding to each of several states. Figure 6(a) shows the correction amount K10 according to the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25. As described above, the thicker the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25, the thicker the line width printed on the sheet 9 due to toner splatter. Therefore, the correction amount K10 is set to a value that becomes smaller as the film thickness increases and larger as the film thickness decreases. The correction amount K10 shown in Figure 6(a) is recorded in the table information 44 of the storage unit 41. The correction amount determination unit 53 determines the correction amount K10 according to the state of the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25 detected by the state detection unit 52 by referring to the table information 44.

[0059] Figure 6(b) shows the correction amount K20 according to humidity. As mentioned above, the lower the humidity, the thicker the line width printed on sheet 9. Therefore, the correction amount K20 is set to a value that is larger as humidity decreases and smaller as humidity increases. The correction amount K20 shown in Figure 6(b) is recorded in the table information 44 of the storage unit 41. The correction amount determination unit 53 determines the correction amount K20 according to the humidity state detected by the state detection unit 52 by referring to the table information 44.

[0060] Figure 6(c) shows the correction amount K30 according to the paper thickness. As mentioned above, the thicker the paper, the thicker the line width printed on sheet 9. Therefore, the correction amount K30 is set to a value that becomes smaller as the paper thickness increases and larger as the paper thickness decreases. The correction amount K30 shown in Figure 6(c) is recorded in the table information 44 of the storage unit 41. The correction amount determination unit 53 determines the correction amount K30 according to the paper thickness state detected by the state detection unit 52 by referring to the table information 44.

[0061] Figure 6(d) shows the correction amount K40 according to the state of the transfer material. As described above, the longer the transfer material is used, the thicker the line width printed on the sheet 9 becomes. Therefore, the correction amount K40 is set to a value that decreases as the transfer material is used for a longer period of time. The correction amount K40 shown in Figure 6(d) is recorded in the table information 44 of the storage unit 41. The correction amount determination unit 53 determines the correction amount K40 according to the state of the transfer material detected by the state detection unit 52 by referring to the table information 44.

[0062] For example, if the individual correction amounts K10, K20, K30, and K40 determined as described above are less than 1.0, then each correction amount K10, K20, K30, and K40 becomes a correction coefficient that thins the line width. Also, if each correction amount K10, K20, K30, and K40 is greater than 1.0, then each correction amount K10, K20, K30, and K40 becomes a correction coefficient that thickens the line width. Note that if each correction amount K10, K20, K30, and K40 is 1.0, no correction is made to the line width.

[0063] The correction amount determination unit 53 determines multiple correction amounts K10, K20, K30, and K40 corresponding to each of the multiple states, and then determines whether the degree of correction when line width correction is performed individually based on these multiple correction amounts K10, K20, K30, and K40 is greater than a predetermined amount. Figure 7 shows an example of determining the degree of correction when correction amounts K10 and K20 are taken as representative examples. Figure 7(a) shows the combined correction amount K10+K20 obtained by adding the correction amount K20 according to humidity to the correction amount K10 according to the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25. As shown in Figure 7(a), when the humidity is low and the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25 is thick, the combined correction amount K10+K20 becomes smaller than a predetermined value TH, and the degree of correction that narrows the line width becomes greater than a predetermined amount. In this case, if the line width is thinned by performing line width correction based on the combined correction amount K10 + K20, the line width printed on sheet 9 will be thinner than the line width of the original image, resulting in image quality degradation. To prevent such image quality degradation, the correction amount determination unit 53 modifies the correction amount when the humidity is low and the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25 is thick, as shown in Figure 7(b). That is, the correction amount determination unit 53 modifies the correction amount so that the degree of correction by the combined correction amount K10 + K20 is reduced.

[0064] Figure 8 shows the concept of the correction amount determined by the correction amount determination unit 53. The correction amount determination unit 53 evaluates the degree of correction when multiple correction amounts K10, K20, K30, and K40 derived from each of the multiple states are added together. As shown in Figure 8, if the degree of correction due to the added correction amount is greater than a predetermined amount, the correction amount determination unit 53 modifies it so that the degree of correction is smaller and determines the line width correction amount that results in the optimal degree of correction. The optimal degree of correction is the degree to which the line width of the image is the same as the line width of the print target data when the image is printed on sheet 9. The correction amount determination unit 53 then instructs the line width correction unit 51 to use the line width correction amount that results in the optimal degree of correction. As a result, the line width correction unit 51 performs line width correction to achieve the optimal degree of correction instructed by the correction amount determination unit 53.

[0065] Figure 9 shows an example configuration of the correction amount determination unit 53 and the line width correction unit 51. For example, the correction amount determination unit 53 includes a first correction amount determination unit 71, a second correction amount determination unit 72, a third correction amount determination unit 73, a fourth correction amount determination unit 74, and a correction amount adjustment unit 75. The first correction amount determination unit 71 determines a first correction amount K10 according to a first state detected by the state detection unit 52. For example, the first state is the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25. The second correction amount determination unit 72 determines a second correction amount K20 according to a second state detected by the state detection unit 52. For example, the second state is the humidity in the image processing apparatus 1. The third correction amount determination unit 73 determines a third correction amount K30 according to a third state detected by the state detection unit 52. For example, the third state is the paper thickness used in image formation. The fourth correction amount determination unit 74 determines the fourth correction amount K40 according to the fourth state detected by the state detection unit 52. For example, the fourth state is the state of the transfer member. That is, the first correction amount determination unit 71, the second correction amount determination unit 72, the third correction amount determination unit 73, and the fourth correction amount determination unit 74 determine individual correction amounts K10, K20, K30, and K40 according to each of the first to fourth states.

[0066] The correction amount adjustment unit 75 analyzes the overall degree of correction when line width correction is performed individually based on the individual correction amounts K10, K20, K30, and K40. If the overall degree of correction is greater than a predetermined amount, the correction amount adjustment unit 75 determines the amount of correction for each correction amount K10, K20, K30, and K40. For example, the correction amount adjustment unit 75 determines the amount of correction for the first correction amount K10 based on the other correction amounts K20, K30, and K40. Similarly, the correction amount adjustment unit 75 determines the amount of correction for correction amounts K20, K30, and K40 based on the other correction amounts. Then, the correction amount adjustment unit 75 modifies the individual correction amounts K10, K20, K30, and K40 based on each amount of correction to reduce the overall degree of correction. In other words, the correction amount adjustment unit 75 adjusts the correction amounts K10, K20, K30, and K40 respectively and outputs the correction amounts K11, K21, K31, and K41.

[0067] However, if the overall degree of correction is less than a predetermined amount, the correction amount adjustment unit 75 outputs the individual correction amounts K10, K20, K30, and K40 directly to the line width correction unit 51 without making any modifications.

[0068] The line width correction unit 51 comprises a first line width correction unit 81, a second line width correction unit 82, a third line width correction unit 83, and a fourth line width correction unit 84. The line width correction unit 51 operates the first line width correction unit 81, the second line width correction unit 82, the third line width correction unit 83, and the fourth line width correction unit 84 in sequence to sequentially perform line width correction on the image.

[0069] The first line width correction unit 81 performs a first line width correction on the image included in the print target data. The first line width correction unit 81 performs line width correction based on the first correction amount K11 output from the correction amount adjustment unit 75. In other words, the first line width correction unit 81 performs line width correction to eliminate the effect of the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25.

[0070] The second line width correction unit 82 performs a second line width correction on the image included in the print target data. The second line width correction unit 82 performs line width correction based on the second correction amount K21 output from the correction amount adjustment unit 75. In other words, the second line width correction unit 82 performs line width correction to eliminate the effect of humidity.

[0071] The third line width correction unit 83 performs a third line width correction on the image included in the print target data. The third line width correction unit 83 performs line width correction based on the third correction amount K31 output from the correction amount adjustment unit 75. In other words, the third line width correction unit 83 performs line width correction to eliminate the effect of paper thickness.

[0072] The fourth line width correction unit 84 performs a fourth line width correction on the image included in the print target data. The fourth line width correction unit 84 performs line width correction based on the fourth correction amount K41 output from the correction amount adjustment unit 75. In other words, the fourth line width correction unit 84 performs line width correction to eliminate the influence of the transfer material.

[0073] The correction amounts K11, K21, K31, and K41 applied in the first line width correction unit 81, the second line width correction unit 82, the third line width correction unit 83, and the fourth line width correction unit 84 are adjusted by the correction amount adjustment unit 75 to reduce the degree of correction. Therefore, even if the first line width correction unit 81, the second line width correction unit 82, the third line width correction unit 83, and the fourth line width correction unit 84 are performed in sequence, it is possible to prevent excessive line width correction from being applied to the image.

[0074] Figure 10 shows an example configuration of the correction amount determination unit 53 and the line width correction unit 51, which differs from that shown in Figure 9. For example, the correction amount determination unit 53 includes a first correction amount determination unit 71, a second correction amount determination unit 72, a third correction amount determination unit 73, a fourth correction amount determination unit 74, and a correction amount integration unit 76. The first correction amount determination unit 71, the second correction amount determination unit 72, the third correction amount determination unit 73, and the fourth correction amount determination unit 74 are the same as those shown in Figure 9. That is, the first correction amount determination unit 71, the second correction amount determination unit 72, the third correction amount determination unit 73, and the fourth correction amount determination unit 74 determine individual correction amounts K10, K20, K30, and K40 according to each of the first to fourth states.

[0075] The correction amount integration unit 76 integrates the individual correction amounts K10, K20, K30, and K40 to generate a single correction amount K50. For example, the correction amount integration unit 76 generates a single correction amount K50 by multiplying each of the multiple correction amounts K10, K20, K30, and K40 by themselves. In this case, if the degree of correction obtained by the correction amount K50, which is the result of integrating the multiple correction amounts K10, K20, K30, and K40, becomes greater than a predetermined amount, the correction amount integration unit 76 generates a correction amount K50 with a reduced degree of correction.

[0076] Figure 11 shows a conceptual diagram of the processing performed by the correction amount integration unit 76. For example, the correction amount integration unit 76 calculates the intermediate coefficient KK. The intermediate coefficient KK is calculated, for example, by the calculation formula: KK = K10 * K20 * K30 * K40. Once the correction amount integration unit 76 calculates the intermediate coefficient KK, it calculates the interpolation coefficient M based on the value of the intermediate coefficient KK.

[0077] FIG. 11(a) shows the relationship between the intermediate coefficient KK and the interpolation coefficient M. As shown in FIG. 11(a), the correction amount integration unit 76 determines an interpolation coefficient M(1.0, α, β, γ) corresponding to the intermediate coefficient KK. However, 1.0 < α < β < γ. That is, the correction amount integration unit 76 determines a larger value as the interpolation coefficient M as the intermediate coefficient KK approaches 0. Then, the correction amount integration unit 76 calculates an integrated correction amount K50 based on the intermediate coefficient KK and the interpolation coefficient M. For example, the integrated correction amount K50 is calculated by the arithmetic expression: K50 = KK * M.

[0078] FIG. 11(b) shows the relationship between the intermediate coefficient KK and the integrated correction amount K50. The integrated correction amount K50 is converted to a larger value as the value of the intermediate coefficient KK becomes smaller. Therefore, as the degree of correction based on the intermediate coefficient KK increases, the degree of correction of the integrated correction amount K50 decreases. When the correction amount integration unit 76 calculates one integrated correction amount K50 from a plurality of correction amounts K10, K20, K30, K40 as described above, the integrated correction amount K50 is output to the line width correction unit 51.

[0079] The line width correction unit 51 includes a batch correction unit 85. The batch correction unit 85 performs line width correction on the image included in the print target data based on the integrated correction amount K50. That is, the batch correction unit 85 performs line width correction based on each of the individual correction amounts K10, K20, K30, K40 determined according to each of a plurality of states in a batch. For example, the batch correction unit 85 determines the corrected line width by multiplying the integrated correction amount K50 by the line width W of the image. However, the batch correction unit 85 may perform line width correction by a method other than multiplication.

[0080] Further, the correction amount integration unit 76 may hold weighting coefficients G1, G2, G3, G4 for each of a plurality of states and assign weighting coefficients to the individual correction amounts K10, K20, K30, K40. For example, the correction amount integration unit 76 calculates individual correction amounts K12, K22, K32, K42 to which the weighting coefficients G1, G2, G3, G4 are assigned by performing the following calculation. Note that the weighting coefficients G1, G2, G3, G3 are values within the range of 0 < G1, G2, G3, G4 < 1.0. K12 = 1 + (K10 - 1) * G1 K22 = 1 + (K20 - 1) * G2 K32 = 1 + (K30 - 1) * G3 K42 = 1 + (K40 - 1) * G4 The correction amount integration unit 76 then calculates the integrated correction amount K50 by performing the following calculation. K50 = K12 * K22 * K32 * K42

[0081] If the integrated correction amount K50 calculated by the above calculation is less than 1.0, the line width correction process thins the lines in the image. Figure 12 shows an example of line width correction that thins lines. Figure 12(a) shows the line width of an image included in the data to be printed. As shown in Figure 12(a), the lines in the image are composed of 6 dots in the line width direction. For example, if the integrated correction amount K50 is less than 1.0, the gradation of the outermost dot X1 of the line is determined based on the integrated correction amount K50. In other words, as shown in Figure 12(b), the line width correction unit 51 corrects the gradation of the outermost dot X1 of the line to a value lower than the maximum value and performs line width correction. As a result, the lines in the image appear thinner.

[0082] Furthermore, the line width correction unit 51 can also perform line width correction with two or more dots. For example, if the integrated correction amount K50 is 0.5 ≤ K50 < 1.0, line width correction will be performed with one dot. Also, for example, if the integrated correction amount K50 is 0 ≤ K50 < 0.5, line width correction will be performed with two dots. When the line width correction unit 51 performs line width correction with two dots, as shown in Figure 12(c), the gradation of the outermost dot X1 of the line is set to 0, and the gradation of the adjacent dot X2 inside it is determined based on the integrated correction amount K50. By performing line width correction with a width of two dots, the line width correction unit 51 can make the lines in the image even thinner.

[0083] Also, when the integrated correction amount K50 calculated by the above operation is greater than 1.0, the line width correction is a process of thickening the lines in the image. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of line width correction for thickening lines. FIG. 13(a) shows the line width of the image included in the print target data. As shown in FIG. 13(a), the lines in the image are composed of 4 dots in the line width direction. For example, when the integrated correction amount K50 is greater than 1.0, based on the integrated correction amount K50, the tone of the dot X3 located outside the dots forming the line is determined. That is, as shown in FIG. 13(b), the line width correction unit 51 corrects the tone of the dot X3 outside the line to a value greater than 0 and executes the line width correction. As a result, the lines in the image appear thicker.

[0084] Also, the line width correction unit 51 can also perform line width correction with 2 or more dots. For example, when the integrated correction amount K50 satisfies 1.0 < K50 ≤ 1.5, the line width correction is performed with 1 dot. Also, for example, when the integrated correction amount K50 satisfies 1.5 < K50 ≤ 2.0, the line width correction is performed with 2 dots. When the line width correction unit 51 performs line width correction with 2 dots, as shown in FIG. 13(c), the tone of the dot X3 outside the line is set to D (the maximum value), and the tone of the dot X4 adjacent to the outside of the dot X3 is determined based on the integrated correction amount K50. Then, by performing line width correction with a 2-dot width, the line width correction unit 51 can make the lines in the image even thinner.

[0085] Also, the individual correction amounts K10, K20, K30, K40 may be values added or subtracted with respect to the tone of the outermost part of the line. In this case, the correction amount integration unit 76 calculates the intermediate coefficient KK by adding the individual correction amounts K10, K20, K30, K40. Then, when the degree of correction by the intermediate coefficient KK is greater than a predetermined amount, the correction amount integration unit 76 generates an integrated correction amount K50 with a reduced degree of correction.

[0086] Alternatively, the correction amount integration unit 76 may store a correlation function f that takes multiple states as input and use this correlation function f to calculate the integrated correction amount K50. In this case, the correction amount determination unit 53 can calculate the integrated correction amount K50 by substituting each of the multiple states detected by the state detection unit 52 into the correlation function f and performing calculations. Therefore, the correction amount determination unit 53 does not need to calculate individual correction amounts K10, K20, K30, and K40 corresponding to each of the multiple states. The correlation function f is set as a function that reduces the degree of correction when the degree of correction becomes larger than a predetermined amount. Therefore, the correction amount determination unit 53 can obtain an integrated correction amount K50 with a reduced degree of correction by performing calculations based on the correlation function f.

[0087] Furthermore, the correlation function f may also be a function that takes individual correction amounts K10, K20, K30, and K40 as inputs. In this case, the correlation function f can be expressed as f(K10, K20, K30, K40). The correction amount determination unit 53 can calculate the integrated correction amount K50 by inputting the individual correction amounts K10, K20, K30, and K40 corresponding to each of the multiple states into the correlation function f and performing calculations.

[0088] Furthermore, the table information 44 stored in the memory unit 41 may be information in which the integrated correction amount K50 corresponding to each of the multiple states is pre-registered. Figure 14 is a diagram showing the table information 44 used to calculate the integrated correction amount K50 based on three states, the first to the third states. As shown in Figure 14, when the first state is "a", the second state is "b", and the third state is "c", the correction amount determination unit 53 can read the value "F" as the integrated correction amount K50 by referring to the table information 44. Therefore, as shown in Figure 14, the correction amount determination unit 53 can obtain the integrated correction amount K50 without performing the above calculations by managing table information 44 that correlates multiple states and correction amounts.

[0089] Next, the processing procedure in the image processing device 1 will be described. Figure 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure performed in the image processing device 1. This processing is performed by the execution of program 43 in the hardware processor 40.

[0090] The image processing device 1 acquires image data to be printed (step S10). Once the image data is acquired, the image processing device 1 activates the state detection unit 52 to detect multiple states in the image processing device 1 (step S11). For example, the state detection unit 52 detects the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25, humidity, paper type, and the state of the transfer material.

[0091] Next, the image processing device 1 activates the correction amount determination unit 53 to determine the line width correction amount (step S12). The correction amount determination unit 53 determines the line width correction amount according to multiple states of the image processing device 1. At this time, if the degree of correction when applying the correction amounts according to the multiple states is greater than a predetermined amount, the correction amount determination unit 53 determines a line width correction amount with a reduced degree of correction. This prevents excessive line width correction from being applied to the image. For example, in line width correction that thins the line width of an image to account for toner splatter, it is possible to prevent the line width of the image from becoming too thin.

[0092] When the image processing device 1 determines the line width correction amount, it performs line width correction processing on the image data (step S13). At this time, the line width correction unit 51 functions in the image processing device 1. The line width correction unit 51 applies the line width correction amount determined by the correction amount determination unit 53 and performs line width correction on the image data. The line width correction amount is modified to prevent excessive line width correction. Therefore, in the image data corrected by the line width correction unit 51, lines do not become too thin, nor do lines become too thick.

[0093] When the image processing device 1 performs line width correction, it prints based on the corrected image data (step S14). At this time, the printer unit 4 prints the image on sheet 9 based on the corrected image data. Therefore, even if toner splatter occurs and lines in the image are printed thicker than intended, the line width will be equal to the line width of the original image included in the data to be printed. Thus, the image processing device 1 can print a high-quality image on sheet 9.

[0094] As described above, the image processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment detects multiple states during image formation, determines a line width correction amount for correcting the line width of the image according to each of the multiple states, and corrects the line width of the image based on the determined line width correction amount. When the image processing apparatus 1 determines the line width correction amount, it is configured to determine a line width correction amount that is smaller in degree than when line width correction is performed based on correction amounts that are individually determined according to each of the multiple states. By reducing the degree of correction of the line width correction amount applied in line width correction, such an image processing apparatus 1 can prevent excessive line width correction from being performed on the image.

[0095] Furthermore, when determining the line width correction amount, the image processing device 1 of this embodiment determines a line width correction amount with a reduced correction degree when line width correction is performed based on correction amounts individually determined according to each of the multiple states, if the degree of correction becomes greater than a predetermined amount. In other words, the image processing device 1 determines a line width correction amount with a reduced correction degree only when the degree of correction is greater than a predetermined amount and the correction is too strong. Therefore, the image processing device 1 can effectively prevent image quality degradation due to line width correction.

[0096] (modified version) Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to those described in the above embodiments, and various modifications are applicable.

[0097] For example, the above embodiment illustrates a case where the image processing device 1 is configured as an MFP. However, the image processing device 1 is not limited to being configured as an MFP. For example, the image processing device 1 may be a printer that only has a printing function.

[0098] Furthermore, the image processing device 1 may be configured as an external device for an MFP or printer. In this case, the image processing device 1 communicates with the MFP or printer and detects multiple states. The image processing device 1 then determines the line width correction amount according to the multiple states in the MFP or printer. At this time, if the degree of correction due to line width correction becomes greater than a predetermined amount, the image processing device 1 determines a line width correction amount with a reduced degree of correction. The image processing device 1 then performs line width correction on the image based on the reduced line width correction amount. After that, the image processing device 1 outputs the line width corrected image data to the MFP or printer.

[0099] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the state detection unit 52 detects four states: the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25, humidity, paper type, and the transfer material. However, the multiple states that the state detection unit 52 can detect are not limited to the four states described above. That is, the state detection unit 52 may also detect states other than the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25, humidity, paper type, and the transfer material.

[0100] Furthermore, the state detection unit 52 only needs to detect at least two states. For example, the state detection unit 52 may detect at least two of the following states: the film thickness of the photoreceptor 25, humidity, paper type, and transfer material.

[0101] For example, if the state detection unit 52 detects two states, the correction amount determination unit 53 obtains a first correction amount corresponding to the first state detected by the state detection unit 52 and a second correction amount corresponding to the second state detected by the state detection unit 52 as line width correction amounts. The correction amount determination unit 53 can then modify both the first and second correction amounts so that the degree of correction decreases. In this case, the correction amount determination unit 53 may be configured to determine the modification amount of the first correction amount based on the second correction amount, and to determine the modification amount of the second correction amount based on the first correction amount.

[0102] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the program 43 executed by the hardware processor 40 is pre-stored in the storage unit 41. However, the program 43 is not limited to being pre-stored in the storage unit 41. That is, the program 43 can be traded on its own. For this reason, the program 43 may be provided in a state recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Alternatively, the program 43 may be provided in a form that can be downloaded via a network such as the Internet. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 1 Image processing device 4. Printer section 6 Control Unit 16. Secondary transfer roller (transfer material) 22 Intermediate transfer belt (transfer member) 29 Primary transfer roller (transfer member) 40 Hardware Processors 41 Storage section 43 Programs 44 Table Information 50 Data Acquisition Unit 51 Line width correction section 52 State detection unit 53 Correction Amount Determination Unit 54 Job Control Unit

Claims

1. A state detection unit that detects multiple states during image formation, A correction amount determination unit determines a line width correction amount for correcting the line width of an image according to each of the multiple states detected by the state detection unit, A line width correction unit corrects the line width of an image based on the line width correction amount determined by the correction amount determination unit, Equipped with, The image processing apparatus is characterized in that the correction amount determination unit determines a line width correction amount that is smaller in degree than when line width correction is performed based on a correction amount that is individually determined according to each of the multiple states.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the correction amount determination unit determines a reduced line width correction amount when the degree of correction is performed based on a correction amount individually determined according to each of the plurality of states, if the degree of correction becomes greater than a predetermined amount.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction amount determination unit obtains a first correction amount corresponding to a first state detected by the state detection unit and a second correction amount corresponding to a second state detected by the state detection unit as the line width correction amount, and modifies each of the first correction amount and the second correction amount so that the degree of correction becomes smaller.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the correction amount determination unit determines a correction amount for the first correction amount based on the second correction amount, and determines a correction amount for the second correction amount based on the first correction amount.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the line width correction unit sequentially performs line width correction based on the corrected first correction amount and the corrected second correction amount, respectively, in the correction amount determination unit.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction amount determination unit manages table information relating the plurality of states and the line width correction amount, and reads the line width correction amount corresponding to the plurality of states from the table information.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction amount determination unit holds a correlation function that takes the plurality of states as input and calculates the line width correction amount using the correlation function.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the correction amount determination unit holds a weighting coefficient for each of the plurality of states and reduces the degree of correction by applying the weighting coefficient to the correction amount that is individually determined according to each of the plurality of states.

9. A photoreceptor on which a toner image is formed. Furthermore, The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of states include the state of the film thickness of the photoreceptor.

10. Environmental sensors that detect the state of the environment, Furthermore, The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of states include the state of the environment detected by the environmental sensor.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of states include the state of the paper type used during image formation.

12. A transfer member for transferring the toner image. Furthermore, The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of states include the state of the transfer member.

13. A state detection step that detects multiple states during image formation, A correction amount determination step, which determines a line width correction amount for correcting the line width of an image according to each of the multiple states detected in the state detection step, A line width correction step is performed to correct the line width of the image based on the line width correction amount determined in the correction amount determination step, It has, The control method is characterized in that the correction amount determination step includes a step of determining a line width correction amount that is smaller in degree than when line width correction is performed based on a correction amount that is individually determined according to each of the plurality of states.

14. A program executed in an image processing device, wherein the image processing device is configured to perform A state detection step that detects multiple states during image formation, A correction amount determination step, which determines a line width correction amount for correcting the line width of an image according to each of the multiple states detected in the state detection step, A line width correction step is performed to correct the line width of the image based on the line width correction amount determined in the correction amount determination step, Make it run, The program is characterized in that the correction amount determination step includes a step of determining a line width correction amount that is smaller in degree than when line width correction is performed based on a correction amount that is individually determined according to each of the plurality of states.

Images