Image Processing Unit Line Width Determination
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing units and apparatuses face challenges in improving the reproducibility of thinner lines in manuscript images with different line widths between vertical and horizontal lines, often resulting in unnecessarily thickened lines and reduced legibility.
Innovation Solution
An image processing unit with a line width determination device and an emphasizing processor that detects thinner lines and applies a higher widening ratio specifically to these lines, while restraining the widening of thicker lines, using an optical scanning device and magnetic brush development scheme in an electrophotographic process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If uniform thickening process is applied to all lines, then reproducibility of thinner lines is improved, but thicker lines become unnecessarily and excessively thick
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different widening ratios to different lines based on their individual characteristics. The line width determination device identifies each line's thickness, and the emphasizing processor applies a higher widening ratio only to thinner lines while using a lower or zero widening ratio for already-thick lines, achieving local optimization rather than uniform treatment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts the widening ratio parameter based on the detected line thickness. By changing the processing parameter (widening ratio) according to the object's property (line thickness), the system optimizes the reproduction quality for each line individually, preventing over-thickening while ensuring adequate reproduction of thin lines.
2Shape
If the size of print dots of vertical lines is reduced to balance thickness differences, then vertical line thickness is reduced, but thinner lines become much thinner when they coincide with the scanning direction
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly reducing all vertical line dot sizes, the patent applies local quality by determining each line's actual thickness and applying differential widening ratios. This ensures that already-thin lines receive compensatory widening while thicker lines maintain or reduce their size minimally, avoiding the problem of making thin lines much thinner.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than reducing dot sizes to control thickness (which harms thin lines), the patent inverts the approach by selectively widening lines after detection. This reverse strategy—widening instead of reducing—allows thin lines to be compensated without further reduction, while thick lines can be controlled through minimal or selective widening.
3Reliability
If uniform emphasizing process is applied to all lines, then reproducibility of manuscript image is improved, but legibility and clarity are reduced due to excessive thickening
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by determining the thickness of each line and applying different widening ratios accordingly. This selective approach ensures that only lines needing enhancement receive significant widening, while already-clear lines maintain their original characteristics, preserving overall legibility and clarity while improving reproducibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by selectively emphasizing only the thinner lines that need improvement, rather than uniformly emphasizing all lines. This partial application of the emphasizing process avoids excessive thickening of already-thick lines, thereby maintaining legibility and clarity while still improving the reproduction of thin lines.
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
Enhances the reproducibility of thinner lines without excessively thickening other lines, maintaining legibility and clarity in manuscript images with varying line widths.
Implementation Method 1
an optical scanning device which scans an image carrier by laser in a first scanning direction to form an electrostatic latent image on a surface of the image carrier
Implementation Method 2
a developing device of a magnetic brush development scheme which supplies a developer to the image carrier to visualize the electrostatic latent image as a toner image
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing unit includes a region separation device and a spatial filtering device. The region separation device detects line widths of a manuscript image in which the line widths are different between a vertical line and a horizontal line and determines which of the vertical line or the horizontal line is thinner. The spatial filtering device executes an emphasizing process to make a widening ratio of a thinner line of the vertical line or the horizontal line higher than a widening ratio of the other line.