Edge Coordinate Determination for Image Forming Apparatus
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image forming processes experience performance reduction when handling graphic arts with large quantities of fine thin lines due to increased load on edge and level processing units, leading to inefficient rendering and image forming performance.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus is designed with a determination unit to differentiate between start and end edges based on edge direction, and coordinate determination units to set X coordinates for each scan line as minimum or maximum values, optimizing edge processing and reducing the number of edges processed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If one additional edge is internally generated for each PS edge to accurately obtain coordinate changes, then the accuracy of edge coordinate determination is improved, but the number of edges and levels increases leading to increased processing load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and processes only the necessary edge information (start edges and end edges) from the PS data, separating them into distinct categories. By extracting only the critical coordinate information needed for rendering and discarding redundant edge data, the system maintains coordinate determination accuracy while reducing the overall number of edges that need to be processed through the rendering pipeline.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments edges into two distinct types: start edges and end edges. This segmentation allows the rendering processing unit to handle each type differently and efficiently, processing only the necessary coordinate information for each edge type rather than treating all edges uniformly. This reduces the computational complexity associated with processing a large number of uniform edge structures.
2Manufacturing precision
If the number of edges is increased to maintain accuracy in coordinate determination, then the precision of rendering is improved, but the processing load on the rendering processing unit increases reducing image forming performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential coordinate information from edges (start and end coordinates) that is necessary for accurate rendering. By extracting and processing only this critical information rather than processing complete edge structures, the system maintains rendering precision while significantly reducing the processing load on the rendering processing unit, thereby improving image forming performance.
3Reliability
If edge processing is performed on a large quantity of edges to maintain fidelity to PS data, then the output fidelity is improved, but the processing time increases reducing overall system performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and processes only the critical edge coordinate information necessary for faithful PS data reproduction. By extracting start and end edge coordinates and processing only this essential information through the rendering pipeline, the system maintains high output fidelity to the original PS data while significantly reducing processing time compared to processing complete edge structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary classification of edges into start edges and end edges before the main rendering processing. This preliminary action organizes the edge data in advance, allowing the rendering processing unit to efficiently process only the necessary coordinate information without performing redundant operations, thereby reducing processing time while maintaining output fidelity.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus determines, with respect to intermediate data including a start edge and an end edge indicating a shape of an object and which do not intersect and where an edge direction of the start edge and an edge direction of the end edge are aligned, whether an edge read from the intermediate data is the start edge or the end edge based on an edge direction of the edge, determines an X coordinate of an edge to be determined for each scan line as a minimum value of a corresponding scan line, and determines, an X coordinate of an edge to be determined for each scan line, as a maximum value of a corresponding scan line.