Brilliant Image Density Control for Color Tone Consistency

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Solution Overview

Problem

Image forming devices struggle to maintain the original color tones when printing images by superimposing brilliant toners on color toners, leading to a potential impression of strangeness or different color tone for the viewer.

Innovation Solution

The device includes a brilliant image forming section and a non-brilliant image forming section, controlled by a control section that adjusts the image density of the brilliant image based on the saturation of the non-brilliant image, ensuring appropriate balance of brilliance and saturation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If a brilliant toner image is superimposed on a color toner image, then the image exhibits brilliance, but the saturation of the color toner image decreases and color tones change

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovebrillianceVSAvoidcolor tone consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The control section dynamically adjusts the image density parameter of the brilliant toner based on the saturation level of the color toner image. When saturation is high, the brilliant toner image density is reduced to prevent excessive color tone change. When saturation is low, the brilliant toner image density is increased to ensure sufficient brilliance. This parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction by making the brilliance output adaptive to the underlying color image properties.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Illumination intensity

If the image density of the brilliant image is increased, then the brilliance is enhanced, but the saturation of the underlying color image is reduced more significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebrilliance intensityVSAvoidcolor saturation
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system transitions from a static brilliant toner application to a dynamic one where the image density is continuously adjusted based on real-time saturation measurements of the color toner image. The control section modifies the brilliant toner image density in response to varying saturation levels, creating a dynamic balance between brilliance enhancement and color saturation preservation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The image density of the brilliant toner is changed as a function of the measured saturation parameter. By establishing a relationship between saturation level and brilliant toner density, the system optimizes the trade-off between achieving desired brilliance and maintaining adequate color saturation, preventing either extreme from dominating.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP4517432A1Image forming device and image forming method
Publication Date: 2025.03.05 OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY CO LTD
  • EP4517432A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4517432A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4517432A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An image forming device (1) includes a brilliant image forming section (10S), a non-brilliant image forming section (10K, 10C, 10M, 10Y), and a control section (3). When an image is formed on a medium (MD) by superimposing a brilliant image (PS) with an image density of 100% on a non-brilliant image (PL),. the control section (3) controls the brilliant image forming section (10S) and the non-brilliant image forming section (10K, 10C, 10M, 10Y) so as to make them form the brilliant image (PS) whose image density is a first image density if saturation (C*) of the non-brilliant image (PL) is first saturation and make them form the brilliant image (PS) whose image density is a second image density lower than the first image density if the saturation (C*) of the non-brilliant image (PL) is second saturation higher than the first saturation.