Image Processor Effective Area Detection Reduces Print Engine Transfer Time

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Solution Overview

Problem

Full color printers require significantly longer image processing and data transfer times compared to monochrome printers due to the increased data volume processed, resulting in longer printing times.

Innovation Solution

An image processor detects the effective image area within the data and applies processing only to that area, transferring the processed data along with position and size information to the print engine, reducing both processing and transfer times.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If image processing is applied to the entire image data in full color printers, then complete image processing is achieved, but image processing time and data transfer time increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage processing completenessVSAvoidimage processing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the image data into multiple regions by detecting effective image areas (regions containing actual image content) and separating them from blank areas. Image processing is then applied only to the effective image areas, which segment the processing task from the entire page data, thereby reducing processing time while maintaining complete processing of all necessary image content.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts only the effective image areas from the complete image data before transferring to the print engine. By taking out and processing only the necessary image portions rather than the entire data set, the system reduces both image processing time and data transfer time while ensuring all image content is properly processed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Manufacturing precision

If image processing is applied to the entire image data in full color printers, then complete image processing is achieved, but data transfer time to print engine increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage processing completenessVSAvoiddata transfer time

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and transfers only the effective image area data to the print engine, along with position and size information. This extraction of necessary data from the complete image data reduces the volume of data transferred, thereby reducing data transfer time while ensuring all image content is properly transferred and processed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Loss of time

If image processing is applied only to detected effective image areas, then image processing time and data transfer time are reduced, but accurate positioning across CMYK color planes must be maintained

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage processing timeVSAvoidimage positioning accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces position and size information as intermediary data that mediates between the effective image areas and the print engine. This intermediary information enables the print engine to accurately position and reconstruct the image by placing the processed effective image areas at their correct locations, thereby maintaining positioning accuracy despite processing only segmented areas.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent adds dimensional information (position coordinates and size measurements) to the effective image areas. By incorporating these spatial dimension parameters, the system enables accurate positioning of processed image segments in the output, transforming the problem from positioning entire pages to positioning segmented areas with precise coordinate information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

4Loss of time

If image processing is applied only to detected effective image areas, then data transfer time to print engine is reduced, but accurate positioning across CMYK color planes must be maintained

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata transfer timeVSAvoidimage positioning accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS7525686B2Image processor and image processing program for applying image processing to input data and transferring the same to print engine

Publication Date: 2009.04.28 RISO KAGAKU CORP

AI summary

The effective image area detector 4 detects an effective image area within image data subjected to color conversion, and an image processing/screening unit 5 applies image processing to image data in the effective image area and transfers the processed image data in the effective image area to a print engine together with position and size information of the effective image area. This reduces image processing time and data transfer time to the print engine, thereby reducing printing time of image data.