Facsimile and static presentation processing – Static presentation processing – Memory
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-22
2003-03-04
Evans, Arthur G (Department: 2622)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Static presentation processing
Memory
Reexamination Certificate
active
06529289
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus for subjecting input image data to image processing to output to an output device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, various systems of output devices have been developed, and image processing apparatuses for performing image processing corresponding to those output devices have also been developed in accordance with each output device. As an example of the output device, a color laser beam printer will be taken up and concretely described here.
The color laser beam printer is capable of printing in various colors using toner amounts of four colors: cyan (hereinafter, C-color), magenta (hereinafter, M-color), yellow (hereinafter, Y-color) and black (hereinafter, k-color). As a representative mechanism for a high-speed color laser beam printer, there are a 4-cycle color printer and a 4-tandem color printer. Also, there is a 2-tandem color printer obtained by fusing the 4-cycle color printer and 4-tandem color printer mechanisms.
FIG. 29
is an explanatory view for illustrating the basic mechanism of the 4-cycle color printer. In
FIG. 29
, a reference numeral
1
designates a 4-cycle color printer;
2
, a tray;
3
, sheets;
4
, a front roll;
5
, a rear roll;
6
, a belt;
7
, a fixer;
8
, a YMCK cleaner;
9
, a YMCK drum;
10
, a YMCK polygon mirror;
11
, a YMCK toner selection box;
12
, a Y-toner box;
13
; a M-toner box;
14
, a C-toner box; and
15
, a K-toner box.
In the tray
2
, there are stored sheets
3
, and a sheet
3
fed from this tray
2
is conveyed through the belt
6
. The belt
6
is driven by the front roll
4
and the rear roll
5
.
The YMCK toner selection box
11
is provided with the Y-toner box
12
in which Y-color toner is stored, the M-toner box
13
in which M-color toner is stored, the C-toner box
14
in which C-color toner is stored, and the K-toner box
15
in which go K-color toner is stored, and selectively controls any of them.
The surface of the YMCK drum
9
is constructed of photoreceptor, and irradiates light from a light source such as a laser (not shown) onto a writing position on the YMCK drum
9
by the YMCK polygon mirror
10
. A portion to which the light has been irradiated becomes charged to form a latent image. The latent image is developed by toner of a color selected by the YMCK toner selection box
11
. Thus, the toner is transferred onto the sheet
3
. The fixer
7
applies heat to the toner transferred onto the sheet
3
to fix it to the sheet
3
. Also, the toner, which has not been transferred onto the sheet
3
, but remained on the surface of the YMCK drum
9
, and the charge are removed by the YMCK cleaner
8
.
Next, a description will be made of the operation of the 4-cycle color printer.
FIG. 30
is an explanatory view illustrating the sheet conveying direction, main scanning direction and sub-scanning direction;
FIG. 31
is an explanatory view illustrating an example of a method of transmitting image data onto the 4-cycle colorprinter; and
FIG. 32
is an explanatory view illuminating an example of timing of transmission and transference of image data onto the 4-cycle color printer. As shown in
FIG. 31
, plane sequential data of Y-color, M-color, C-color and K-color bit maps are sequentially transmitted to the 4-cycle color printer
1
. Generally, one pixel is designated by 8 bits (32 bits of YMCK) each color, and 256 levels of gray can be expressed for each color. Since color is expressed by combinations of Y-color, M-color and C-color, approximately 16,780,000 colors (cube of 256) can be expressed. In this respect, K-color is used to complement the density of Y-color, M-color and C-color. Information of 1 pixel expressed by 8 bits is converted into the irradiation width of laser light. When the maximum width of one pixel is assumed to be., for example, Nmm, in a pixel, to which w (w=0 to 255) has been designated, the laser turns ON between (w/255) and Nmm.
As shown in
FIG. 31
, of the first page data, an image Y
1
is first transmitted to the 4-cycle color printer
1
in the plane sequence. The data of 8-bit each pixel transmitted is converted into irradiation width of laser light. The YMCK polygon mirror
10
irradiates laser light onto the surface of the YMCK drum
9
so that an irradiation position of the laser light moves in the main scanning direction shown in
FIG. 30
, that is, in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the sheet
3
. When the laser turns ON, a portion of the YMCK drum
9
, onto which the laser light is irradiated, becomes charged. This charge forms a line of latent image in the main scanning direction.
When a fixed length is outputted in the main scanning direction, the irradiation position of the laser light returns to the starting point of the next line to output one line. The YMCK drum
9
is rotating, and output for each line is repeatedly performed, whereby each line is formed in the sub-scanning direction shown in
FIG. 30
to form a two-dimensional latent image on the surface of the YMCK drum
9
. Thus, the YMCK toner selection box
11
sets the Y-toner box
12
in advance, whereby Y-color toner adheres to a charged portion of the YMCK drum
9
.
Similarly, data of an image M
1
, an image C
1
and an image K
1
, each of which is data constituting the first page, are fed to the 4-cycle color printer
1
in the plane sequence. At this time, the YMCK toner selection box
11
sets the M-toner box
13
, the C-toner box
14
and the K-toner box
15
respectively to cause the M-color toner, the C-color toner and the K-color toner to adhere to the YMCK drum
9
.
After data of the image K
1
is fed and the K-color toner starts adhering to the YMCK drum
9
, the sheet
3
is fed from the tray
2
and is conveyed through the belt
6
. Four-color toner adhered to the YMCK drum
9
is transferred onto the sheet
3
.
FIG. 32
shows relationship between output timing of images Y
1
, M
1
, C
1
and K
1
on the first page, each of which is image data, and timing transfer
1
in which the image on the first page is transferred onto the sheet
3
. This figure shows that timing, at which the image K
1
, which is the final image data of the first page, is being fed to the 4-cycle color printer
1
overlaps with transfer
1
, which is timing at which transfer is being made onto the sheet
3
. During this lapping, the data of the image K
1
is converted into irradiation width of laser light, the laser light is irradiated onto the YMCK drum
9
from the YMCK polygon mirror
10
, and the K-color toner adheres to the YMCK drum
9
. Thus, toner of four colors is transferred onto the sheet
3
.
Also, after the completion of the transfer of toner onto the sheet
3
, it is necessary to clear any remaining toner, which remained on the YMCK drum
9
and could not be transferred onto the sheet, and the charged portion. This treatment is performed by the YMCK cleaner
8
. At timing at which feeding out of the image K
1
and the transfer
1
overlap, the clearing treatment using the YMCK cleaner
8
is also being partially performed at the same time. At timing at which the image K
1
is not transmitted, but only the transfer
1
takes place, only the transfer onto the sheet
3
and clearing treatment using the YMCK cleaner
8
are performed.
After the image data of the first page is transmitted, image Y
2
data, which is data constituting the second page, is fed to the 4-cycle color printer
1
in the plane sequence. In this respect, in
FIG. 32
, at timing at which the transfer
1
and the image Y
2
are overlapping, the image Y
2
data is converted into irradiation width of laser light while the clearing treatment using the YMCK cleaner
8
is being partially performed, and laser is irradiated onto the YMCK drum
9
from the YMCK polygon mirror
10
for charging, and Y-color toner adheres.
After one-page image data is all transmitted onto the 4-cycle color printer
1
to transfer four colors of toner onto the sheet
3
, the fixer
7
applies heat t
Konno Kazuhito
Masubuchi Yukio
Takeuchi Kenji
Evans Arthur G
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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