公开(公告)号：US20240359483A1

公开(公告)日：2024-10-31

申请号：US18641304

申请日：2024-04-19

Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.

Inventor： Hiroomi Nakatsuji ,  Jun Nakano ,  Masato Usui ,  Naoko Kawashima

IPC: B41J2/21

CPC classification number: B41J2/2142

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, a control unit, an ejection malfunction detecting unit, and an ejection malfunction nozzle determining unit. The recording head ejects ink corresponding to an image to be printed, using arranged nozzles. The control unit determines nozzles corresponding to the image and causes the recording head to eject ink from the nozzles. The ejection malfunction detecting unit (a) prints a first test pattern on a print sheet using the recording head, and (b) detects a density defect due to ejection malfunction in a scanned image of the first test pattern. The ejection malfunction nozzle determining unit (a) prints a second test pattern using the recording head if the density defect is detected by the ejection malfunction detecting unit, and (b) does not perform printing of the second test pattern if no density defects are detected by the ejection malfunction detecting unit.

公开(公告)号：US20220256052A1

公开(公告)日：2022-08-11

申请号：US17591909

申请日：2022-02-03

Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.

Inventor： Hiroomi Nakatsuji ,  Hiroki Sakane ,  Naoko Kawashima ,  Jun Nakano ,  Masato Usui

IPC: H04N1/405

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a halftone processing unit and a multi-level gradation processing unit. The halftone processing unit is configured to perform a halftone process for a target image and generate a binary image corresponding to the target image. The multi-level gradation processing unit is configured to (a) set a target pixel as a dot pixel in the binary image, (b) determine whether a dot exists on plural first periphery pixels with a predetermined first distance from the target pixel and plural second periphery pixels with a predetermined second distance from the target pixel or not, (c) derive a gradation level of the target pixel among predetermined three or more gradation levels on the basis of a number of dots on the plural first periphery pixels and a number of dots on the plural second periphery pixels and thereby generate a multi-level gradation image.

公开(公告)号：US20240359456A1

公开(公告)日：2024-10-31

申请号：US18641309

申请日：2024-04-19

Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.

Inventor： Jun Nakano ,  Hiroomi Nakatsuji ,  Naoko Kawashima ,  Masato Usui

IPC: B41J2/045

CPC classification number: B41J2/04508 ,  B41J2/0451

Abstract: A recording head ejects ink using nozzles. A control unit determines nozzles corresponding to an image to be printed and causes the recording head to eject ink from the nozzles. A correction processing unit detects an ejection malfunction nozzle and performs a correction process corresponding to the ejection malfunction nozzles. The correction processing unit causes a secondary adjacent nozzle of the ejection malfunction nozzle to perform ink ejection with a first ink ejection amount if ink ejection of a primary adjacent nozzle of ejection malfunction nozzle is performed earlier than ink ejection of the secondary adjacent nozzle and causes the secondary adjacent nozzle to perform ink ejection with a second ink ejection amount if ink ejection of the primary adjacent nozzle is performed later than ink ejection of the secondary adjacent nozzle. Here, the second ink ejection amount is smaller than the first ink ejection amount.

公开(公告)号：US11964489B2

公开(公告)日：2024-04-23

申请号：US17700047

申请日：2022-03-21

Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.

Inventor： Takashi Somete ,  Chikara Ishihara ,  Noriaki Furukawa ,  Takuma Araki ,  Jun Nakano ,  Hiroomi Nakatsuji ,  Issei Nakano

IPC: B41J2/165 ,  B41J11/00

CPC classification number: B41J2/16523 ,  B41J2/16532 ,  B41J11/007 ,  B41J11/0085

Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head including a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink, a conveyor belt that has a plurality of apertures and conveys recording media one by one, a control unit, an ink receiver, and a pipe-shaped ink discharge flow path. The control unit controls drive of the recording head and the conveyor belt to perform flushing, in which the ink is ejected from the nozzle of the recording head to pass through one of the apertures, at a timing different from a timing contributing to image recording. The ink receiver is disposed to face the recording head sandwiching the conveyor belt therebetween, to receive the ink after passing through the aperture when the flushing is performed. The ink discharge flow path is connected to the ink receiver. When the flushing is performed, a predetermined amount of liquid is stored in the ink receiver.

公开(公告)号：US20240100856A1

公开(公告)日：2024-03-28

申请号：US18469481

申请日：2023-09-18

Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.

Inventor： Hiroomi Nakatsuji ,  Jun Nakano ,  Naoko Kawashima ,  Masato Usui

IPC: B41J2/21 ,  B41J29/393

CPC classification number: B41J2/2142 ,  B41J2/2139 ,  B41J29/393 ,  B41J2029/3935

Abstract: An abnormal ejection detection portion detects an abnormal ejection nozzle in a print head based on a read test image read from a sheet with a test pattern formed thereon. When a plurality of abnormal ejection nozzles are detected and the plurality of abnormal ejection nozzles include two consecutive abnormal nozzles corresponding to two consecutive pixels in the read test image, a correction processing portion performs increase correction on an ink ejection amount of consecutive adjacent nozzles adjacent to the two consecutive abnormal nozzles and performs decrease correction on an ink ejection amount of secondary adjacent nozzles adjacent to the consecutive adjacent nozzles.

公开(公告)号：US20230415475A1

公开(公告)日：2023-12-28

申请号：US18336532

申请日：2023-06-16

Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.

Inventor： Jun Nakano ,  Hiroomi Nakatsuji ,  Masato Usui ,  Naoko Kawashima

IPC: B41J2/045

CPC classification number: B41J2/0451

Abstract: An ink-ejection-malfunction-nozzle detecting unit sets nozzle groups such that each nozzle group includes nozzles with a first interval, prints a first test pattern that includes first bands (including thin lines) corresponding to the nozzle groups, sets nozzle subgroups such that each nozzle subgroup includes nozzles with a second interval in each of the nozzle groups, prints a second test pattern that includes second bands (including thin blank lines) corresponding to the nozzle subgroups such that a correction process is performed for adjacent pixels of the thin blank lines, detects a first band including density defect in a scanned image of the first test pattern, detects a second band not including density defect in a scanned image of the second test pattern, correspondingly to the detected first band, and detects an ink ejection malfunction nozzle on the basis of the thin blank line in the detected second band.

公开(公告)号：US20250010635A1

公开(公告)日：2025-01-09

申请号：US18758856

申请日：2024-06-28

Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.

Inventor： Masato Usui ,  Hiroomi Nakatsuji ,  Naoko Kawashima ,  Jun Nakano

IPC: B41J2/21

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, a control unit, an ejection malfunction nozzle detecting unit, and a correction processing unit. The recording head is configured to eject ink corresponding to an image to be printed, using arranged nozzles. The control unit is configured to determine nozzles corresponding to the image to be printed and cause the recording head to eject ink from the nozzles. The ejection malfunction nozzle detecting unit is configured to perform an ejection malfunction test and thereby detect an ejection malfunction nozzle among the nozzles. The correction processing unit is configured to perform a correction process corresponding to the detected ejection malfunction nozzle.

公开(公告)号：US20240308237A1

公开(公告)日：2024-09-19

申请号：US18602494

申请日：2024-03-12

Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.

Inventor： Masato Usui ,  Hiroomi Nakatsuji ,  Naoko Kawashima ,  Jun Nakano

IPC: B41J2/21 ,  G06K15/02

CPC classification number: B41J2/2139 ,  B41J2/2135 ,  B41J2/2142 ,  B41J2/2146 ,  G06K15/027 ,  G06K2215/101

Abstract: An ejection malfunction nozzle detecting unit prints a test pattern on a print sheet using the recording head, and detects an ejection malfunction nozzle on the basis of a density distribution of a scanned image of the test pattern. Here, a resolution of the scanned image is lower than a resolution of the test pattern printed on the print sheet using the recording head. Further, a correction processing unit (a) stores into a predetermined storage device history data that indicates the ejection malfunction nozzle for which the correction process was performed, (b) refers to the history data and detects as an additional correction nozzle a nozzle included in the history data, among nozzles corresponding to a predetermined pixel range that includes a pixel corresponding to the detected ejection malfunction nozzle, and (c) performs the correction process for the detected ejection malfunction nozzle and the additional ejection malfunction nozzle.

公开(公告)号：US20250026133A1

公开(公告)日：2025-01-23

申请号：US18770969

申请日：2024-07-12

Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.

Inventor： Hiroomi Nakatsuji ,  Masato Usui ,  Naoko Kawashima ,  Jun Nakano

IPC: B41J2/21 ,  G06K15/02

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, a control unit, and a correction processing unit. The recording head is configured to eject ink corresponding to an image to be printed, using nozzles. The control unit is configured to determine nozzles corresponding to the image to be printed, correspondingly to a position of a print sheet, and cause the recording head to eject ink from the nozzles. The correction processing unit is configured to perform for the image after gradation process a correction process corresponding to density anomaly that occurs due to an ejection order of the nozzles. Further, the correction processing unit performs the correction process for a density of a target pixel that the density anomaly occurs in the image after gradation pixel, on the basis of a total of densities of periphery pixels within a predetermined distance from the target pixel.

公开(公告)号：US20240359484A1

公开(公告)日：2024-10-31

申请号：US18641313

申请日：2024-04-19

Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.

Inventor： Masato Usui ,  Jun Nakano ,  Hiroomi Nakatsuji ,  Naoko Kawashima

IPC: B41J2/21 ,  B41J2/12 ,  B41J29/393

CPC classification number: B41J2/2142 ,  B41J2/12 ,  B41J2/2139 ,  B41J2029/3935

Abstract: A control unit causes a recording head to eject ink from nozzles corresponding to an image to be printed. An ejection malfunction nozzle detecting unit prints a test pattern using the recording head, and detects an ejection malfunction nozzle on the basis of a scanned image of the test pattern. The test pattern includes plural test pattern images such that in each of the plural test pattern images a dot is not formed at a dot position of a target nozzle set as a non ejection nozzle, and the target nozzles of the plural test pattern images are sequentially shifted by one nozzle in a primary scanning direction. Further, the ejection malfunction nozzle detecting unit determines an ejection malfunction nozzle on which ejection deviation occurs, on the basis of density decreasing amounts of respective density decrease parts in the plural test pattern images in the scanned image.