Printer Image Quality Recovery After Consumable Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing methods fail to adequately adjust image quality after consumable replacements in printers, leading to undesired changes in image quality and requiring significant user effort for manual calibration.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus that includes a storage for storing image quality information before and after maintenance, and a hardware processor to adjust image quality post-maintenance, ensuring consistency with the initial quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If calibration is performed after consumable replacement to maintain target image quality, then image quality consistency with manufacturer target is improved, but image quality changes from pre-replacement state and user satisfaction deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by storing image quality information at predetermined timings before maintenance occurs. This advance preparation allows the system to have reference data ready for subsequent automatic adjustment, eliminating the need for manual calibration while maintaining both manufacturer target quality and user satisfaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms by comparing current image quality against stored historical data and automatically adjusting parameters. This closed-loop approach ensures image quality consistency without requiring manual intervention, resolving the contradiction between maintaining target quality and preserving user satisfaction.
2Manufacturing precision
If manual calibration is performed by service persons to adjust image quality after component replacement, then image quality reproduction is improved, but time and effort required for adjustment work increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically adjusting image quality parameters based on stored historical data and current measurements. This eliminates the need for manual calibration by service persons, significantly reducing adjustment work time while maintaining image quality reproduction accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares adjustment parameters in advance by storing image quality information at predetermined timings. This preliminary action enables automatic adjustment to proceed quickly and accurately without requiring manual intervention, resolving the time loss issue.
3Manufacturing precision
If image processing method compares scan data to correct specific images, then specific image correction is achieved, but characteristics of current printer are not corrected and overall image reproduction satisfaction is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves universality by storing image quality information at multiple predetermined timings and using this comprehensive data for automatic adjustment. This multi-functional approach allows the system to correct both specific images and overall printer characteristics, ensuring satisfaction across all image reproduction tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously comparing current image quality against historical data stored at predetermined timings. This comprehensive feedback mechanism enables the system to adjust both specific images and overall printer characteristics, resolving the limitation of previous methods.
4Reliability
If photoreceptor is replaced to solve image defect, then defect is eliminated, but printer characteristics change and image quality changes undesirably
Solution Approach 1:
The system stores image quality information at predetermined timings before component replacement. This preliminary action creates a reference baseline that enables subsequent automatic adjustment, allowing the photoreceptor replacement to fix defects while maintaining image quality consistency through automated parameter adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback mechanisms to compare image quality before and after photoreceptor replacement, automatically adjusting parameters to maintain consistency. This closed-loop approach enables defect elimination through component replacement while preserving image quality through automated compensation.
Data Source
AI summary
To provide an image processing apparatus capable of sufficiently reproducing an image satisfying a user without taking time and labor for adjustment work of image quality reproduction. An image processing apparatus that adjusts image quality of an image formed by an image forming apparatus, the image processing apparatus includes: a storage that stores image quality information on image quality at a predetermined timing after start of use of the image forming apparatus and before maintenance; and a hardware processor that performs image quality adjustment so as to adjust the image quality after the maintenance to the image quality stored.