JP-2026074503-A - Image processing device, control method, and program

Abstract

[Problem] To prevent excessive correction when performing line width correction on images, thereby suppressing image quality degradation. [Solution] The image processing apparatus 1 includes a state detection unit 52 that detects multiple states during image formation, a correction amount determination unit 53 that determines a line width correction amount for correcting the line width of the image according to each of the multiple states detected by the state detection unit 52, and a line width correction unit 51 that corrects the line width of the image based on the line width correction amount determined by the correction amount determination unit 53. The correction amount determination unit 53 determines a line width correction amount that is smaller in degree than when line width correction is performed based on correction amounts that are individually determined according to each of the multiple states. [Selection Diagram] Figure 2

Inventors

• 高濱 英一

Assignees

• コニカミノルタ株式会社

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20241021

Claims (14)

1. A state detection unit that detects multiple states during image formation, A correction amount determination unit determines a line width correction amount for correcting the line width of an image according to each of the multiple states detected by the state detection unit, A line width correction unit corrects the line width of an image based on the line width correction amount determined by the correction amount determination unit, Equipped with, The image processing apparatus is characterized in that the correction amount determination unit determines a line width correction amount that is smaller in degree than when line width correction is performed based on a correction amount that is individually determined according to each of the plurality of states.
2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the correction amount determination unit determines a reduced line width correction amount when the degree of correction performed based on the correction amount individually determined according to each of the multiple states exceeds a predetermined amount.
3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the correction amount determination unit acquires a first correction amount corresponding to a first state detected by the state detection unit and a second correction amount corresponding to a second state detected by the state detection unit as the line width correction amount, and modifies each of the first and second correction amounts so that the degree of correction becomes smaller.
4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the correction amount determination unit determines the correction amount of the first correction amount based on the second correction amount, and determines the correction amount of the second correction amount based on the first correction amount.
5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the line width correction unit sequentially performs line width correction based on the corrected first correction amount and the corrected second correction amount, respectively, in the correction amount determination unit.
6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the correction amount determination unit manages table information relating the multiple states and the line width correction amount, and reads the line width correction amount corresponding to the multiple states from the table information.
7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the correction amount determination unit holds a correlation function that takes the plurality of states as input and calculates the line width correction amount using the correlation function.
8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the correction amount determination unit holds weighting coefficients for each of the multiple states and applies the weighting coefficients to the correction amount individually determined according to each of the multiple states, thereby reducing the degree of correction.
9. A photoreceptor on which a toner image is formed. Furthermore, The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of states include the state of the film thickness of the photoreceptor.
10. Environmental sensors that detect the state of the environment, Furthermore, The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of states include the state of the environment detected by the environmental sensor.
11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the aforementioned plurality of states include the state of the paper type used during image formation.
12. A transfer member for transferring the toner image. Furthermore, The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of states include the state of the transfer member.
13. A state detection step that detects multiple states during image formation, A correction amount determination step, which determines a line width correction amount for correcting the line width of an image according to each of the multiple states detected in the state detection step, A line width correction step is performed to correct the line width of the image based on the line width correction amount determined in the correction amount determination step, It has, The control method is characterized in that the correction amount determination step includes a step of determining a line width correction amount that is smaller in degree than when line width correction is performed based on a correction amount that is individually determined according to each of the plurality of states.
14. A program executed in an image processing device, wherein the image processing device is configured to perform A state detection step that detects multiple states during image formation, A correction amount determination step, which determines a line width correction amount for correcting the line width of an image according to each of the multiple states detected in the state detection step, A line width correction step is performed to correct the line width of the image based on the line width correction amount determined in the correction amount determination step, Make it run, The program is characterized in that the correction amount determination step includes a step of determining a line width correction amount that is smaller in degree than when line width correction is performed based on a correction amount that is individually determined according to each of the multiple states.

Description

This invention relates to an image processing apparatus, a control method, and a program. Image processing devices such as MFPs (Multifunction Peripherals) tend to produce thicker lines on printing paper due to toner splatter and bleeding. To reproduce line widths of appropriate thickness, it is necessary to correct the line width of the data to be printed, taking into account the effects of toner splatter. Conventionally, devices have been proposed that detect the film thickness of a photoreceptor and adjust the line width according to that film thickness in order to reproduce an appropriate line width (for example, Patent Document 1). Furthermore, devices have been proposed that detect environmental conditions using an environmental sensor and adjust the line width of character images or line images by determining a correction amount according to the detected environmental conditions (for example, Patent Document 2). In addition, devices have been proposed that identify the type of paper used for image formation and adjust the line image according to the paper type (for example, Patent Document 3). Incidentally, the degree of toner splatter varies depending on several factors, including the condition of the device, environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity, and the type of paper used. However, the conventional technologies described above all determine the line width correction amount based on a single condition, such as the film thickness of the photoreceptor or environmental conditions. Therefore, they cannot adequately respond to line width changes caused by multiple factors and cannot reproduce line widths of the appropriate thickness. Incidentally, it is thought that simply combining the aforementioned conventional techniques could accommodate line widths that vary due to multiple factors. However, in that case, if line width correction is performed by simply adding up the multiple correction amounts determined by each individual factor, a phenomenon occurs where the correction is too strong. Figure 16 illustrates line width correction when conventional techniques are simply combined. Figure 16(a) shows line width correction due to the first factor. In Figure 16(a), the line width of the data to be printed is thinned by correction amount K1, taking into account toner splatter due to the first factor. Therefore, the edges of the lines in the corrected data are located inside the edges of the lines in the data to be printed. When image formation is performed based on the corrected data, toner splatter due to the first factor occurs, and the toner scatters outside the edge position of the corrected data. As a result, the printed image will have lines of the same thickness as the data to be printed due to the toner splatter. Figure 16(b) shows line width correction due to the second factor. In Figure 16(b), the line width of the print target data is thinned by correction amount K2, taking into account toner splatter due to the second factor. Therefore, the line edges in the corrected data are located inside the lines of the print target data. When image formation is performed based on the corrected data, toner splatter due to the second factor occurs, and the toner scatters outside the edge positions of the corrected data. As a result, the printed image will have lines of the same thickness as the print target data due to the toner splatter. Figure 16(c) shows line width correction when toner splatter occurs simultaneously due to the first and second factors. In this case, the line width is corrected using a correction amount K1 + K2, which is the sum of the correction amount K1 due to the first factor and the correction amount K2 due to the second factor, and corrected data is generated. When image formation is performed based on the corrected data, toner splatter occurs due to the first and second factors. However, the amount of toner splatter decreases as it moves away from the edge position of the corrected data. Therefore, the toner does not adhere to the original edge position indicated by the data to be printed. In this case, the line width of the printed image becomes narrower than the original line width. In other words, there is a problem in that the correction to narrow the line width is applied too strongly, resulting in image quality degradation. The above explanation focused on correcting line width to make it thinner. However, the same principle applies when correcting line width to make it thicker. For example, if the line width tends to thin depending on the device's condition, it's necessary to correct the line width of the data to be printed to make it thicker in order to reproduce the appropriate line width. In this case, if multiple factors contribute to the thinning of the line width, simply adding up the correction amounts determined based on each individual factor will result in an overly strong correction, leading to image quality degradation. Japanese Patent Publ