Image Forming Apparatus Scanning Unit Home Position Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses using the flow reading method struggle to detect document images effectively, especially when the document's ground color is similar to the background, leading to failed crop processing and requiring manual intervention.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus incorporates a reading opposite plate with adjacent low and high brightness areas, allowing the scanning unit's home position to be set accordingly, enabling successful document image detection by adjusting the brightness difference between the document and background.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the flow reading method is used to read documents by irradiating with light from a scanning unit, then reading speed and automation are improved, but document image detection reliability deteriorates when document ground color is similar to background
Solution Approach 1:
The opposite plate is divided into different brightness regions (first brightness region with lower brightness and second brightness region with higher brightness) to create local quality variations. This allows the scanning unit to detect documents with different ground colors by switching between regions, resolving the detection reliability issue while maintaining flow reading efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the brightness parameter of the background by switching between different brightness regions on the opposite plate. This parameter change creates sufficient contrast between the document and background, enabling reliable document image detection in the flow reading method without sacrificing reading speed
2Device complexity
If the home position of the scanning unit is fixed, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different document ground colors deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The opposite plate is designed with multiple brightness regions that can serve different functions. By switching between the first and second brightness regions, the same scanning unit can adapt to documents with different ground colors, achieving multi-functionality without increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The home position of the scanning unit is made dynamic by allowing switching between different brightness regions on the opposite plate. This dynamic adjustment enables the system to adapt to various document ground colors while maintaining a relatively simple scanning unit configuration
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
Ensures reliable document image detection and crop processing by switching the scanning unit's position between low and high brightness areas, enhancing the likelihood of successful image extraction regardless of the document's ground color.
Implementation Method 1
a light transmitting member (16) that is provided below the conveyance path at the reading position (P1)
Implementation Method 2
an image reader that sets a home position of the scanning unit (52) to a position corresponding to either the low brightness area or the high brightness area to read the document passing through the reading position
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes a light transmitting member provided at a reading position set in a conveyance path and an opposite plate opposed thereto, and a document being conveyed passes between this opposite plate and the light transmitting member. On an opposing surface of the opposite plate to the light transmitting member, a low brightness area, for example, like a gray color and a high brightness area, for example, like a white color, having a higher brightness than the low brightness area are formed adjacent to each other in a conveyance direction of the document. Then, an image reader sets a home position of a scanning unit to a first position or a second position corresponding to either the low brightness area or the high brightness area to read the document passing through the reading position.