Image Forming Apparatus Plane Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current image forming apparatuses waste resources by treating entire sheets as waste when only a portion is abnormal, leading to unnecessary recovery printing and consumption of supplies.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus with a hardware processor and image reader that compares reference images with read images to determine normal or abnormal status, allowing for selective reuse of normal planes and optimized recovery printing based on the number of abnormal planes detected.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entire sheet is treated as waste when a portion is abnormal, then the inspection reliability is improved, but the sheet waste increases and supplies are consumed unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The sheet is divided into multiple planes, and each plane is inspected and evaluated independently. When an abnormality is detected, only the specific plane containing the abnormality is identified as waste, while other normal planes can be reused. This segmentation approach maintains inspection reliability by thoroughly checking each plane while reducing overall sheet waste by preventing unnecessary disposal of entire sheets.
2Reliability
If recovery printing is performed on entire sheets with partial abnormalities, then the completeness of required images is ensured, but the consumption of supplies increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of performing recovery printing on entire sheets, the system performs partial recovery printing only on the specific planes that contain abnormalities. The inspection device identifies the exact location of abnormalities, and recovery printing is applied selectively to those portions. This partial action approach ensures that all required images are obtained while minimizing supply consumption by avoiding redundant printing of normal planes.
3Manufacturing precision
If the entire sheet is reprinted when one plane is abnormal, then the quality of required images is maintained, but the productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The sheet is segmented into multiple planes for independent evaluation. When an abnormality is detected in one plane, only that specific plane is marked for recovery printing while other planes are retained for use. This segmentation enables parallel processing where normal planes do not require reprocessing, thereby maintaining image quality standards while significantly improving printing efficiency by reducing the total number of planes that need recovery printing.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes: a hardware processor; an image former that outputs a printed sheet obtained by forming a plurality of imposed images on a sheet in response to a command from the hardware processor; and an image reader that reads the printed sheet and outputs read images according to a command from the hardware processor, wherein the hardware processor performs, according to a command from the hardware processor, an inspection process of comparing a reference image included in a predetermined inspection unit with an image selected from the read image on the basis of the unit inspection, and obtains an inspection result in which the image selected from the read images which is matched with the reference image is determined to be a normal image and the image selected from the read images which is not matched with the reference image is determined to be an abnormal image.