Image forming method and apparatus and optical head
AssigneeOki Data Corporation
InventorMasao Yaji
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image forming apparatus illuminates a pixel formation member with optical energy according to image data specifying a value for each pixel in the image. Some of the optical energy emitted to form a pixel is distributed over surrounding pixels; similarly, a pixel may receive peripheral optical energy that was emitted to form surrounding pixels. The amount of peripheral optical energy thus received is calculated, and the amount of optical energy emitted to form the pixel is adjusted to compensate for the peripheral optical energy, so that the total optical energy received by the pixel has the intended value. Image irregularities are thereby avoided, even if the image formation apparatus employs multiple light-emitting elements with different energy emission distributions.
Claims12
An image forming apparatus for forming pixels by illuminating a pixel formation member with optical energy emitted by a light emitting unit according to image data, the image forming apparatus comprising:
- a calculation unit for calculating peripheral optical energy received by a pixel of interest on the pixel formation member by determining and adding up the optical energy emitted to form individual pixels two-dimensionally surrounding the pixel of interest but received instead by the pixel of interest;
- a compensation unit for adjusting the optical energy emitted to form the pixel of interest according to said peripheral optical energy;
- and
- an energy emission distribution memory for storing an energy emission distribution representing a distribution of optical energy emitted by the light emitting unit and received at a two-dimensional array of pixel positions;
- wherein
- the calculation unit calculates the optical energy emitted to form the individual pixels two-dimensionally surrounding the pixel of interest but received instead by the pixel of interest from the energy emission distribution;
- and
- the energy emission distribution is stored as a matrix in the energy emission distribution memory, the matrix having a size determined according to specifications of the image forming device, the matrix excluding an area over which the optical energy received adds up to less than one gray level in a gray scale used by the image forming apparatus;
- and
- the matrix has a minimum size such that peripheral optical energy excluded from the matrix corresponds in total to less than one gray level of the pixel of interest.
An image formation method, comprising:
- illuminating a pixel formation member with optical energy emitted according to image data to form pixels;
- calculating peripheral optical energy received by a pixel of interest on the pixel formation member by determining and adding up the optical energy emitted to form individual pixels two-dimensionally surrounding the pixel of interest but received instead by the pixel of interest;
- and adjusting the optical energy emitted to form the pixel of interest according to said peripheral optical energy;
- and
- storing an energy emission distribution representing a distribution of optical energy emitted by the light emitting unit and received at a two-dimensional array of pixel positions;
- wherein
- the energy emission distribution is stored as a matrix having a size determined according to specifications of the image forming device, the matrix excluding an area over which the optical energy received adds up to less than one gray level in a gray scale used by the image forming apparatus;
- and
- the matrix has a minimum size such that peripheral optical energy excluded from the matrix corresponds in total to less than one gray level of the pixel of interest.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.