Image Processing Apparatus Misregistration Correction Circuit
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-resolution image forming units in tandem-type color image forming apparatuses require significant circuit size and cost to store correction information for misregistration correction, as the amount of correction information increases with higher resolution, leading to increased misregistration correction complexity.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus that determines pixel correction amounts in the sub-scanning direction using interpolation based on correction information stored in segments, reducing the amount of information needed to be stored and thereby reducing circuit size and cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If high-resolution image forming units are used, then image quality is improved, but the amount of correction information required increases, leading to increased circuit size and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The image data is divided into multiple segments along the main scanning direction, with each segment processed independently using interpolation. This segmentation allows correction information to be stored only at segment boundaries rather than for every pixel, significantly reducing the total amount of correction data required while maintaining high-resolution correction accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
Correction information stored at segment boundaries is copied and reused through interpolation to determine correction amounts for all pixels within those segments. This copying approach eliminates the need to store unique correction data for each pixel, reducing circuit size while preserving correction precision across the entire high-resolution image
2Measurement precision
If high-resolution image forming units are used, then image quality is improved, but the amount of correction information required increases, leading to increased production cost
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the image into manageable sections and storing correction information only at segment boundaries, the patent dramatically reduces the volume of correction data that must be stored in circuit registers. This reduction directly lowers production costs for high-resolution image formers by decreasing the complexity and cost of correction circuitry
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of correction information storage from per-pixel to per-segment-boundary, reducing the data volume by a factor proportional to the resolution. This parameter change enables high-resolution manufacturing without proportionally increasing correction circuit complexity and production cost
3Manufacturing precision
If correction information is stored for every pixel, then misregistration correction accuracy is improved, but storage requirements and circuit size increase
Solution Approach 1:
Correction information is preliminarily stored only at segment boundaries before actual image processing. During correction, this boundary information is interpolated to generate correction amounts for all intermediate pixels, achieving full-pixel correction accuracy with minimal preliminary storage requirements
Solution Approach 2:
Interpolation acts as an intermediary process that generates correction information for pixels between stored segment boundaries. This intermediary calculation enables accurate correction for all pixels without requiring direct storage of correction data for each pixel, significantly reducing storage requirements while maintaining precision
Data Source
AI summary
Correction amounts of pixels in a sub-scanning direction for correcting misregistration of an image are determined based on interpolation using the correction amount in the sub-scanning direction corresponding to a first segment and the correction amount in the sub-scanning direction corresponding to a second segment, both of which are configured by pixels in the image.