Image Processing Apparatus Conveying Speed Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Multi-Function Peripherals (MFPs) face errors due to increased data transfer rates and document sheet thickness, where controlling one issue often exacerbates the other, leading to inability to prevent both errors simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus with a conveying speed control unit for document sheets based on thickness, a clock control unit to adjust image transfer clock frequency, and determination units to set the frequency lower of either parallel processing or document sheet thickness, ensuring stable data transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the document conveying speed is reduced to prevent errors due to document sheet thickness, then the occurrence of errors due to thickness is suppressed, but the data transfer rate via the image bus decreases and parallel job execution becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically adjusts the image transfer clock frequency based on the document sheet thickness. When a thick document sheet is detected, the system lowers the clock frequency to reduce data transfer rate, preventing buffer overflow errors. This dynamic parameter adjustment allows the system to maintain both reliability for thick sheets and productivity for normal sheets by adapting the transfer rate to the specific document being processed.
2Reliability
If the document conveying speed is reduced to prevent errors due to document sheet thickness, then the occurrence of errors due to thickness is suppressed, but the amount of data transferred per unit time via the image bus is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of image transfer clock frequency in response to document sheet thickness. By lowering the clock frequency when thick sheets are detected, the system reduces the data transfer quantity to match the slower conveying speed, preventing buffer overflow. This parameter change ensures that the data transfer amount corresponds to the actual reading capacity, maintaining reliability without unnecessarily limiting productivity.
3Speed
If the image transfer clock frequency is increased to achieve high-speed reading, then the reading speed is improved, but the amount of data transfer per unit time via the image bus exceeds the upper limit
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of the image transfer clock frequency based on document sheet thickness detection. For thin documents, the system maintains high clock frequency to achieve fast reading speeds. For thick documents, it automatically lowers the frequency to prevent data transfer overflow, ensuring reliable operation. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between speed and reliability by adapting to the specific document characteristics.
4Productivity
If parallel job execution is implemented to improve productivity, then the processing capacity is increased, but the amount of data transfer via the image bus exceeds the upper limit
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the image transfer clock frequency parameter in response to document thickness to enable parallel job execution. By lowering the frequency for thick sheets, the system reduces the data transfer load, making it possible to execute multiple jobs simultaneously without exceeding the image bus capacity. This parameter adaptation allows the system to achieve both improved productivity through parallel processing and maintained reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing apparatus capable of suppressing occurrence of an error due to an increase in the amount of data transfer per unit time while suppressing occurrence of an error due to thickness of a conveyed document sheet. A conveying speed of a document sheet is controlled based on the thickness thereof. As a frequency of an image transfer clock for transferring image data of the document sheet from a scanner section to an image processor, a frequency is used which is the lower of a first frequency determined based on whether an image processing process is executed in parallel with any other image processing process different from the image processing process and a second frequency determined based on the thickness of the document sheet.