Patent Application
20180255198
This application claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-038392, filed Mar. 1, 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Embodiments described herein relate generally to an image forming apparatus and an image forming method.
If a copy machine reads an image of an original document in a state where the original document is placed on a feeder or original document table glass, an image tilted with respect to an output medium such as a sheet can be copied due to the fact that the original document is placed or transported in a tilted state with respect to a reference read position.
Meanwhile, pigment which emits light by applying ultraviolet thereto is known. Recording agent which uses the pigment is hard to be recognized by naked eyes under visible light, and is used for forgery detection, events in the dark, or creation of post at an attraction by using characteristics of the pigment which is recognizable when ultraviolet is applied. However, utilization of the recording agent including ultraviolet emitting pigment is still not enough from the viewpoint of preventing an image forming apparatus from abnormally operating and improving convenience.
An object of an exemplary embodiment is to provide an image forming apparatus and an image forming method which can reduce an operation error of original document disposition at the time of copying an original document and reading an image by using recording agent such as toner or ink (hereinafter, referred to as “UV-emitting toner” or “UV-emitting ink”) emitting light by ultraviolet.
In general, according to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes an image reading unit, a recognition unit, and an image data generation unit. The image reading unit can generate image data by reading an original document image having a first image which can be formed by first recording agent emitting light under ultraviolet light and a second image which can be formed by second recording agent that is recognizable under visible light. The recognition unit can recognize position information of the second image from image data of the first image which is read by the image reading unit. The image data generation unit can generate corrected image data which is obtained by correcting image data of the second image based on the position information.
Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus and an image forming method according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
The image forming apparatus 100 can form an image on a sheet by using recording agent such as toner. The sheet is, for example, paper or label paper. The sheet may be any material, as long as the image forming apparatus 100 can form an image on a surface thereof. The sheet can be one aspect of an image formation medium.
The display 110 can be an image displaying device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic electro luminescence (EL) display. The display 110 can display various types of information relating to the image forming apparatus 100.
The control panel 120 can include a plurality of buttons. The control panel 120 can accept an operation of a user. The control panel 120 can output a signal according to an operation performed by the user to a control unit of the image forming apparatus 100. The display 110 and the control panel 120 may be configured as a touch panel of one piece. The control panel 120 can be one aspect of an input unit.
The first printer unit 130 can form an image on the sheet, based on image information generated by the image reading unit 200 or image information received through a communication path. The first printer unit 130 can form an image in accordance with, for example, the following processing. An image forming unit of the first printer unit 130 can form an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductive drum (not illustrated) based on the image information. The image forming unit of the first printer unit 130 can form a visible image by adhering the toner to the electrostatic latent image. A transfer unit of the first printer unit 130 can transfer the visible image onto a sheet. A fixing unit of the first printer unit 130 can fix the visible image onto the sheet by heating and pressurizing the sheet. The sheet on which an image is formed may be the sheet contained in the sheet containing unit 140 or may be inserted by hand. In some embodiments, the first printer unit 130 performs image formation by using normal toner (hereinafter, referred to as “normal toner”) having pigment such as carbon black which can be recognized under visible light, in the present embodiment. The first printer unit 130 can be one aspect of a second image forming unit. The normal toner can be one aspect of second recording agent.
The second printer unit 131 can form an image on the sheet, based on the image information generated by the image reading unit 200 or the image information received through the communication path. The second printer unit 131 can form an image by using the same processing as the first printer unit 130. In some embodiments, the second printer unit 131 forms the image by using a UV-emitting toner which emits light if ultraviolet light is applied. In some embodiments, the ultraviolet light has a short wavelength (approximately 350 to 380 nm). The second printer unit 131 can be one aspect of a first image forming unit. The UV-emitting toner can be one aspect of first recording agent.
The sheet containing unit 140 can contain a sheet which is used for image formation in the printer unit.
The image reading unit 200 can read image information of a read target as brightness and darkness of light. The image reading unit 200 can record the image information which is read. The recorded image information may be transmitted to other information processing devices through a network. The recorded image information may be formed as an image on the sheet by the printer unit.
The image reading unit 200 can include a first carriage 20, a second carriage 21, a condensing lens 8, a CCD sensor substrate 10 in which a CCD sensor 9 is mounted, a control substrate 11, and the like.
The first carriage 20 can include a light source 22A, a light source 22B, a reflector 23 which corrects light distribution characteristics of the light sources 22A and 22B, and a first mirror 24, and moves at a speed of 2V in an arrow direction (sub scanning direction) of
Meanwhile, the second carriage 21 can include a second mirror 25 and a third mirror 26, and can move at a speed of V in the sub scanning direction. By setting a movement speed of the second carriage 21 to half the speed of the first carriage 20, a length of an optical path from the light source 22 to the CCD sensor 9 can be maintained constant although the light source 22 moves in the sub scanning direction.
An original document glass table 30 for placing an original document O thereon, a document pressing cover 31 which presses the original document O so as not to float, and a white reference plate 32 which becomes a reference of white color can be provided on an upper side of a reading unit 2.
Light which is emitted from the light source 22 can pass through the original document glass table 30 and be incident on the original document O. Light which is reflected from the original document O can be reflected from the first mirror 24, the second mirror 25, and the third mirror 26, pass through the condensing lens 8, and form an image on a light receiving surface of the CCD sensor 9. The CCD sensor 9 can be mounted on the CCD sensor substrate 10 and can be controlled by a control signal which is input from the control substrate 11.
The communication unit 101 can be a network interface. The communication unit 101 can be communicably connected to an information processing device such as a personal computer or a server through a network. The communication unit 101 can be connected by using a communication method such as the local area network (LAN) or the public switched telephone networks (PSTN).
The control unit 150 can control operations of each unit of the image forming apparatus 100. The control unit 150 can be configured by a device including, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) and a random access memory (RAM). The control unit 150 can function as a UV-emitting toner formation information generation unit 151, an image formation control unit 152, a UV-emitting toner recognition unit 153, and an image data generation unit 154 by executing an image forming device control program.
The control unit 150 can accept a job through the communication unit 101 or the control panel 120. The job can include an image reading job and an image forming job. The image reading job can read an original document disposed in the original document glass table 30 of the image reading unit 200. The image forming job can form an image, based on image data.
The control unit 150 can determine an image formation mode of the image formation control unit 152 if accepting the image forming job. The control unit 150 can accept the image formation mode from a user through the control panel 120. The image formation mode can determine which toner is used to form an image, when the image formation control unit 152 performs image formation processing. The image formation mode may be included in the image forming job. The image formation mode can include two modes—a normal toner mode and a UV-emitting toner mode. The normal toner mode is a mode in which an image of the image data included in the image forming job is formed by using normal toner. In contrast, the UV-emitting toner mode is a mode in which an image of predetermined information is formed by using UV-emitting toner in addition to forming the image of the image data by using the normal toner. The predetermined information is defined by UV-emitting toner formation information. The UV-emitting toner formation information can form an image such as a position mark representing an image region of an original document and/or a QR connection destination (registered trademark) by using the UV-emitting toner. The position mark can be a line which is drawn as a marker for aligning an original document image, and can be a so-called register mark which is represented by a cross mark or the like. The position mark can include marks (refer to M1 to M4 of
The control unit 150 can determine a read mode of an original document by using the image reading unit 200 if accepting the image reading job. The control unit 150 can accept the read mode from a user through the control panel 120. The read mode can determine which light source is used to read an image when the image reading unit 200 reads an image. The read mode may be included in the image reading job. The read mode can include two modes—a normal read mode and an ultraviolet read mode. The normal read mode is a mode in which a visible image formed by using the normal toner is read as the light source 22A emits light. In contrast, the ultraviolet read mode is a mode in which an invisible image formed by using the UV-emitting toner or UV-emitting ink is read as the light source 22B emits light, in addition to reading the image in a visible state as the light source 22A emits light.
The UV-emitting toner formation information generation unit 151 can output UV-emitting toner formation information to the image formation control unit 152. The UV-emitting toner formation information generation unit 151 can generate the UV-emitting toner formation information based on information accepted through the control panel 120. The UV-emitting toner formation information generation unit 151 may generate the UV-emitting toner formation information based on information accepted through the communication unit 101. The UV-emitting toner formation information can be one aspect of image formation information.
The image formation control unit 152 can perform image formation processing by controlling the first printer unit 130 and the second printer unit 131. Hereinafter, when it is not distinguished which of the first printer unit 130 and the second printer unit 131 is used, it is simply referred to as a “printer unit”.
The image formation control unit 152 can perform first image formation processing or second image formation processing based on the accepted information. Processing of forming an image by using the normal toner and the UV-emitting toner can be performed in the first image formation processing. Processing of forming an image by using the normal toner can be performed in the second image formation processing. If the UV-emitting toner formation information is included in the accepted information, the image formation control unit 152 can perform the first image formation processing. If the UV-emitting toner formation information is not included in the accepted information, the image formation control unit 152 can perform the second image formation processing.
The UV-emitting toner recognition unit 153 can acquire a region where an image is formed by using the UV-emitting toner, which is included in the image information read by the image reading unit 200. The UV-emitting toner recognition unit 153 can output instruction information indicating predetermined instruction to the image data generation unit 154 based on the acquired region. For example, a slope of the image information which is read can be corrected in accordance with the predetermined instruction, based on the mark M formed by using the UV-emitting toner. In addition, the image information which is read can be upside down in accordance with the predetermined instruction, based on the mark M formed by using the UV-emitting toner. Furthermore, the predetermined instruction may be instruction by which the image information that is read is stored in a predetermined file path. In addition, if image information which is read is copied by a user, the UV-emitting toner recognition unit 153 may cause the UV-emitting toner formation information generation unit 151 to generate the UV-emitting toner formation information based on the region where an image is formed by using the UV-emitting toner. The UV-emitting toner recognition unit 153 can operate if an image is read in the ultraviolet read mode. The UV-emitting toner recognition unit 153 can be one aspect of a recognition unit.
The image data generation unit 154 can generate image data based on the predetermined instruction accepted from the UV-emitting toner recognition unit 153 and the image information which is read. The image data generation unit 154 can output the generated image data to the communication unit 101. The image data generation unit 154 may store the generated image data to a file path designated by the predetermined instruction. For example, the image data generation unit 154 may store the generated image data in a storage unit (not illustrated) of the image forming apparatus 100. If the image information which is read is copied, the image data generation unit 154 can output the image data to the image formation control unit 152. The image formation control unit 152 can perform the image formation processing based on image data, if accepting the image data.
If the image read mode is the ultraviolet read mode (ACT 203: YES), the image reading unit 200 of the image forming apparatus 100 can perform read processing of a UV toner image and a normal toner image (ACT 204). The UV-emitting toner recognition unit 153 of the image forming apparatus 100 can acquire a region where an image is formed by using the UV-emitting toner from image information read by the image reading unit 200 (ACT 205). The image data generation unit 154 can generate image data of the UV toner image and the normal toner image based on region and image information acquired by the UV-emitting toner recognition unit 153 (ACT 206). If the image read mode is not the ultraviolet read mode (ACT 203: NO), the image reading unit 200 of the image forming apparatus 100 can perform the read processing of the normal toner image (ACT 207). The image data generation unit 154 can generate image data of the normal toner image based on the image information which is read (ACT 208).
In the example illustrated in
The image forming apparatus 100 configured as such can acquire an image which is formed by using the UV-emitting toner by the UV-emitting toner recognition unit 153, if an image of the original document whose image is formed by using the UV-emitting toner is read in the ultraviolet read mode. The UV-emitting toner recognition unit 153 can output instruction on the image information which is read to the image data generation unit 154, based on the acquired image. The image data generation unit 154 can correct the image information which is read, based on the instruction which is output. Hence, a user can reduce an operation error when the original document is copied and the image is read.
According to at least one embodiment described above, it is possible to reduce an operation error when an original document is copied and an image is read, by including the UV-emitting toner recognition unit 153 and the image data generation unit 154.
While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-038392 | Mar 2017 | JP | national |
