Image Forming Apparatus Per-Page Tone Patch Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses face challenges in managing color precision on a page-by-page basis, particularly when dealing with mixed full-color and limited-color pages, as they often print color patches on black-and-white pages, leading to inefficient color management and resource wastage.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus and control method that determine the type of tone patch to be printed based on the color components used in each page, allowing for precise color management by composing and correcting images with tailored tone patches and updating tone correction information based on measured values.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all tone patches are printed on every page for real-time tone correction, then color measurement and tone correction can be performed, but color management precision is lost and resource wastage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by printing different types of tone patches (full-color patches vs. limited-color patches) based on the specific color components used in each page. Instead of uniformly printing all patch types on every page, the system selectively prints only the necessary patch types for each page's color requirements, thereby maintaining tone correction accuracy while reducing resource wastage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the tone patch printing strategy adaptive and flexible. The system dynamically determines which tone patches to print based on the color components detected in each page, allowing the printing process to adjust its behavior according to the specific requirements of each page rather than following a fixed uniform pattern.
2Reliability
If color patches are printed on black-and-white pages, then tone correction can be performed, but page-by-page color number management becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by applying local quality through selective patch printing. The system identifies the color components used in each page and prints only the corresponding tone patches (e.g., black-only patches for black-and-white pages, or specific color patches for color pages). This ensures that tone correction can be performed while maintaining precise color number management on a page-by-page basis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses segmentation by dividing the tone correction process into page-specific segments. Instead of treating all pages uniformly, the system analyzes each page's color components and segments the patch printing accordingly. This allows black-and-white pages to have black-only patches while color pages have appropriate color patches, enabling both tone correction and precise color number management.
3Ease of manufacture
If uniform tone patch printing is used for all pages, then the printing process is simple, but color management efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent balances simplicity and efficiency by implementing a dynamic decision-making process that operates automatically. The system simplifies the printing process by automatically detecting color components and determining the appropriate patches to print, eliminating the need for manual intervention while significantly improving color management efficiency through adaptive, page-specific patch selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies self-service by enabling the printing system to automatically manage its own color correction process. The system self-determines which tone patches to print based on the detected color components in each page, performing color management tasks autonomously without requiring external intervention, thereby maintaining process simplicity while enhancing efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise color number management on a page-by-page basis, reducing resource wastage and improving printing efficiency by tailoring tone patches to the specific color components used, thereby enhancing color accuracy and reducing costs.
Implementation Method 1
perform color measurement of the tone patch formed on the medium
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus including an image forming unit is provided. The apparatus determines a color of a tone patch for tone correction, to be composited with an image, in accordance with a color component used in the image; generates a patch-included image by compositing the tone patch of the color determined with the image; generates a corrected image by performing tone correction on the patch-included image on the basis of tone correction information for each color component; performs color measurement of the tone patch formed on the medium on which the corrected image has been formed, and updates the tone correction information on the basis of a value measured.