Mixed-Color Test Image Analysis for Printer Defect Diagnosis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Determining the cause of image defects in image forming devices, such as vertical stripes, horizontal stripes, and density variations, is challenging due to the complexity of identifying specific parts and the large amount of information involved, requiring skilled analysis and extensive teacher data for accurate pattern recognition.
Innovation Solution
An image processing method that uses a mixed-color test image, combining single-color halftone images for various developing colors, to identify specific parts and determine the cause of defects by analyzing color vectors and feature images, reducing the need for extensive test images and simplifying the determination process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple single-color test images are used to determine image defect causes, then measurement precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to the large number of test images required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple single-color test images into a single mixed-color test image that contains multiple color components. This allows the system to determine the cause of image defects for multiple developing colors simultaneously using one test image, thereby improving productivity while maintaining measurement precision through the use of color vector analysis to identify specific defective components.
2Measurement precision
If detailed analysis of specific parts is performed to determine image defect cause, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to the complexity of identifying specific parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes color vector analysis in a color space to identify defective image creating portions. By representing colors as vectors and analyzing their characteristics, the system can automatically determine which specific part (photoconductor, charging portion, developing portion, or transfer portion) caused the image defect without requiring complex manual identification procedures, thus improving measurement precision while reducing device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A processor identifies a specific part composed of a plurality of significant pixels in a mixed-color test image. Furthermore, the processor identifies a color vector. The color vector represents a vector in a color space from one of a color of the specific part in the mixed-color test image and a color of a reference area including a periphery of the specific part to the other. Furthermore, the processor determines which of a plurality of image creating portions of an image forming device corresponding to a plurality of developing colors, is a cause of an image defect, based on the color vector identified from the mixed-color test image.