Image Forming Pixel Density Correction for Uniform Line Thickness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Image forming devices struggle to maintain consistent line and character thickness across colored and non-colored backgrounds, leading to characters or ruled lines appearing thicker on colored backgrounds.
Innovation Solution
The device includes a controller that determines if adjacent pixels have the same color material and adjusts the density of the first pixel's color material if it is lower than a predetermined threshold when adjacent pixels have a higher density, using a correction process to reduce the first pixel's density.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the image forming device outputs print data with drawing conditions for ruled lines, then the line thickness can be adjusted, but characters or ruled lines on colored backgrounds still appear thicker than on uncolored regions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the image processing adaptive to local background characteristics. The system detects whether each pixel's background is colored or uncolored and applies different density adjustment strategies accordingly. For pixels on colored backgrounds, the system reduces density more aggressively than for pixels on uncolored backgrounds, thereby achieving consistent visual line thickness across different background types while maintaining the overall drawing conditions set by the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the density parameter of color material dynamically based on background characteristics. The controller adjusts the density of color material for each pixel according to whether it lies on a colored or uncolored background, and according to the density of adjacent pixels. This parameter change approach allows the system to maintain consistent line thickness appearance while preserving the intended drawing conditions.
2Illumination intensity
If the density of color material is increased to make lines more visible, then line visibility improves, but lines on colored backgrounds appear even thicker relative to uncolored regions
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different density adjustment levels to pixels based on their local background context. Pixels on colored backgrounds receive different density treatment compared to pixels on uncolored backgrounds, ensuring that line visibility is maintained while preventing excessive thickness on colored regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from adjacent pixel densities to adjust the current pixel's density. By comparing the density of the first pixel with its adjacent second pixel, the system dynamically adjusts the density to achieve uniform line appearance across the entire image, preventing local variations that would cause lines to appear thicker on colored backgrounds.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming device includes a controller, an image former that causes a color material to adhere to a sheet for each of multiple pixels arranged in a first direction, and a sheet feeder that feeds the sheet in a second direction. The controller determines whether a first color material used for a first pixel out of the multiple pixels is identical to a second color material used for a second pixel adjacent to the first pixel on a training end side in the second direction with respect to the first pixel, and executes a correction process of correcting a density of the first color material when it is determined that the first color material is identical to the second color material, the density of the first color material is lower than a first density, and a density of the second color material is equal to or higher than a second density that is equal to or higher than the first density.