Image processing apparatus and method having viewing-density priority and color material saving modes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9256152-B2
Application number	US-201314050546-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2013
Priority date	Nov 1, 2012
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

Transmission information indicating transmittance of light of a printing medium used in image formation is acquired, a reduction ratio with respect to a maximum amount of mounted color materials used in the image formation is set based on the transmission information, and a fixing index indicating a fixing state of the color materials with respect to the printing medium is set based on the transmission information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:
an acquisition unit configured to acquire transmission information indicating transmittance of light of a printing medium used in image formation;
a first setting unit configured to set a reduction ratio indicating maximum percentages of mounted amount of color materials with respect to a maximum amount of mounted color materials used in the image formation based on the transmission information;
a second setting unit configured to set a fixing index indicating a fixing state of the color materials with respect to the printing medium based on the transmission information; and
a third setting unit configured to allow a user to set a printing condition,
wherein the first setting unit and the second setting unit make the settings based on the transmission information and the printing condition, and
wherein the printing condition comprises a viewing-density priority mode and a color material saving mode as printing modes, the reduction ratio in the color material saving mode is set to be less than the reduction ratio in the viewing-density priority mode, and the fixing index in the color material saving mode is set to be greater than the fixing index in the viewing-density priority mode.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the printing condition comprises “holding”, “flat placing”, and “bookbinding” as use styles of a printed product, and a greater fixing index is set in an order of “holding”, “bookbinding”, and “flat placing”.

3. An image processing apparatus comprising:
an acquisition unit configured to acquire transmission information indicating transmittance of light of a printing medium used in image formation;
a first setting unit configured to set a reduction ratio indicating maximum percentages of mounted amount of color materials with respect to a maximum amount of mounted color materials used in the image formation based on the transmission information;
a second setting unit configured to set a fixing index indicating a fixing state of the color materials with respect to the printing medium based on the transmission information; and
an image forming unit configured to execute the image formation by controlling an exposure condition based on the reduction ratio, and controlling a fixing condition based on the fixing index,
wherein the image forming unit comprises a photosensitive body on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, and a fixing unit which fixes the color materials transferred onto the printing medium, and
wherein the exposure condition comprises an exposure amount of the photosensitive body, and the fixing condition comprises a temperature, a pressure, and a fixing time of the fixing unit.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the image forming unit controls the exposure amount of the photosensitive body so as to obtain a latent image potential of the photosensitive body according to the reduction ratio.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the image forming unit controls the temperature, the pressure, and the fixing time of the fixing unit so as to obtain a degree of melting and fixing of the color materials transferred onto the printing medium according to the fixing index.

6. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the image forming unit controls the temperature, the pressure, and the fixing time of the fixing unit so as to completely fix the color materials transferred onto the printing medium in a case where the fixing index assumes a maximum value, and controls the temperature, the pressure, and the fixing time of the fixing unit so as to increase an incomplete fixing layer of the color materials transferred onto the printing medium as the fixing index decreases.

7. An image processing apparatus comprising:
an acquisition unit configured to acquire transmission information indicating transmittance of light of a printing medium used in image formation;
a first setting unit configured to set a reduction ratio indicating maximum percentages of mounted amount of color materials with respect to a maximum amount of mounted color materials used in the image formation based on the transmission information;
a second setting unit configured to set a fixing index indicating a fixing state of the color materials with respect to the printing medium based on the transmission information;
a correction unit configured to apply gamma correction to image data as a target of the image formation using a gamma correction table, so that the mounted amount of the color materials in the image formation satisfies the maximum amount of mounted color materials; and
an image forming unit configured to execute the image formation by controlling development of an electrostatic latent image based on a developing condition, and controlling a fixing condition based on the fixing index,
wherein the first setting unit sets the developing condition based on the reduction ratio,
wherein the correction unit uses a gamma correction table corresponding to the developing condition,
wherein the image forming unit comprises a developer which develops the electrostatic latent image using the color materials, and a fixing unit which fixes the color materials transferred onto the printing medium, and
wherein the developing condition comprises a developing bias of the developer, and the fixing condition comprises a temperature, a pressure, and a fixing time of the fixing unit.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the image forming unit controls the temperature, the pressure, and the fixing time of the fixing unit so as to obtain a degree of melting and fixing of the color materials transferred onto the printing medium according to the fixing index.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the image forming unit controls the temperature, the pressure, and the fixing time of the fixing unit so as to completely fix the color materials transferred onto the printing medium in a case where the fixing index assumes a maximum value, and controls the temperature, the pressure, and the fixing time of the fixing unit so as to increase an incomplete fixing layer of the color materials transferred onto the printing medium as the fixing index decreases.

10. An image processing method comprising:
using a processor to perform steps of:
acquiring transmission information indicating transmittance of light of a printing medium used in image formation;
setting a reduction ratio indicating maximum percentages of mounted amount of color materials with respect to a maximum amount of mounted color materials used in the image formation based on the transmission information;
setting a fixing index indicating a fixing state of the color materials with respect to the printing medium based on the transmission information; and
allowing a user to set a printing condition,
wherein, in the first and second setting steps, the settings are made based on the transmission information and the printing condition, and
wherein the printing condition comprises a viewing-density priority mode and a color material saving mode as printing modes, the reduction ratio in the color material saving mode is set to be less than the reduction ratio in the viewing-density priority mode, and the fixing index in the color material saving mode is set to be greater than the fixing index in the viewing-density priority mode.

11. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing a computer-executable program for causing a computer to perform an image processing method, the method comprising steps of:
acquiring transmission information indicating transmittance of light of a printing medium used in image formation;
setting a red

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Jinno Takayuki
• Hirabayashi Jun

Classifications

• G03G2215/209

  plural types of toner image handled by the fixing device · CPC title

• G03G15/0173 Primary

  plural rotations of recording member to produce multicoloured copy, e.g. rotating set of developing units (G03G15/0163 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03G15/2039

  with means for controlling the fixing temperature · CPC title

• G03G15/5029

  by measuring the copy material characteristics, e.g. weight, thickness · CPC title