Patents by Inventor Shugo Higuchi

Shugo Higuchi has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20120275801
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus which forms an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive drum, serving as an image carrier, develops the image using toners of a plurality of colors, and transfers a toner image onto a printing medium in accordance with an electrophotographic process. A toner consumption amount detection unit detects the toner consumption amount of each of the toners of the plurality of colors, a decision unit decides upon a color to form a patch, based on input image data and the detected toner consumption amount of each color, a patch sensor detects the density of a patch of the decided color by generating the patch at a predetermined position on the photosensitive drum serving as an image carrier outside an area to form a color image, and an adjustment unit adjusts the printing density based on the detected patch density.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2012
    Publication date: November 1, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shugo Higuchi, Hideki Kubo, Mizue Morishita
  • Patent number: 8238772
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus which forms an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive drum, serving as an image carrier, develops the image using toners of a plurality of colors, and transfers a toner image onto a printing medium in accordance with an electrophotographic process. A toner consumption amount detection unit detects the toner consumption amount of each of the toners of the plurality of colors, a decision unit decides a color to be calibrated, based on the detected toner consumption amount of each color, a patch sensor detects the density of a patch of the decided color by generating the patch at a predetermined position on the photosensitive drum serving as an image carrier, and an adjustment unit adjusts the printing density of the color decided by the decision unit, based on the detected patch density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shugo Higuchi, Hideki Kubo, Mizue Morishita
  • Patent number: 8102565
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided for performing image formation by developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an image bearing member using a recording material. The apparatus includes an input unit configured to input a color image to be formed, a specifying unit configured to specify an important color of the input color image, and a patch setting unit configured to set a patch on the basis of the important color. The apparatus also includes a calorimetric measurement unit configured to calorimetrically measure a developed patch obtained by developing an electrostatic latent image of the patch formed on the image bearing member, and a calibration unit configured to perform calibration on the basis of the calorimetric value obtained by the calorimetric measurement unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yingying Fan, Hideki Kubo, Shugo Higuchi
  • Patent number: 8078070
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided that uses a table generated in advance to correct a gradation characteristic of an image to be formed when carrying out image forming using an image carrier. A patch is formed in an area where the image is not formed on the image carrier. A density of the patch formed on the image carrier is measured. The table is modified based on the density of the patch that has been measured. The patch is formed concurrently with image forming of the image on the image carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideki Kubo, Shugo Higuchi, Mizue Shimbaru
  • Patent number: 7982912
    Abstract: A color signal conversion apparatus for converting a color signal of an input gamut to a color signal of an output gamut is provided. First, a target gamut for gamut mapping carried out on the input gamut is set, after which an evaluation function is determined for evaluating the difference between the target gamut and the results of gamut mapping performed on the input gamut using initialized mapping parameters. Then, the mapping parameters are determined based on the evaluation function so that the difference is minimum. The color signal of the input gamut is then mapped to the output gamut based on the determined mapping parameters and constraining conditions. This makes it possible to achieve favorable gamut mapping based on optimal mapping parameters that have been determined automatically.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shugo Higuchi
  • Publication number: 20110141367
    Abstract: A moving image processing apparatus includes a brightness information acquisition unit configured to acquire, from an input video signal, brightness information indicating brightness of the video signal, an illumination information acquisition unit configured to acquire illumination information about an environment of the moving image processing apparatus, an adaptation coefficient calculation unit configured to calculate an adaptation coefficient for an observer based on brightness when the brightness indicated by the brightness information is less than a first threshold and the brightness indicated by the illumination information is less than a second threshold, a correction coefficient calculation unit configured to calculate a correction coefficient to be used for image correction of the video signal based on the adaptation coefficient calculated by the adaptation coefficient calculation unit, and an image correction unit configured to perform image correction on the video signal using the correction coef
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2010
    Publication date: June 16, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shugo Higuchi
  • Publication number: 20100026904
    Abstract: A moving area detecting circuit detects a moving area of image information S(i-1). An intermediate image generating circuit generates intermediate image information SC(i-1) based on the moving area information. A spatial frequency separating circuit generates high-frequency image information SH(i-1) and low-frequency image information SL(i-1) from the image information S(i-1). If contrast information of the moving area is higher than a predetermined value, an image represented by the image information S(i-1) and an image represented by the intermediate image information SC(i-1) are sequentially displayed. If the contrast information is not higher than the predetermined value, an image represented by the high-frequency image information SH(i-1) and an image represented by the low-frequency image information SL(i-1) are sequentially displayed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2009
    Publication date: February 4, 2010
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shugo Higuchi
  • Publication number: 20090220261
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided that uses a table generated in advance to correct a gradation characteristic of an image to be formed when carrying out image forming using an image carrier. A patch is formed in an area where an image is not formed on the image carrier. A density of the patch formed on the image carrier is measured. The table is modified based on the density of the patch that has been measured. The patch is formed concurrent with image forming to the image carrier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2009
    Publication date: September 3, 2009
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideki Kubo, Shugo Higuchi, Mizue Shimbaru
  • Publication number: 20090185199
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is provided for performing image formation by developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an image bearing member using a recording material. The apparatus includes an input unit configured to input a color image to be formed, a specifying unit configured to specify an important color of the input color image, and a patch setting unit configured to set a patch on the basis of the important color. The apparatus also includes a calorimetric measurement unit configured to calorimetrically measure a developed patch obtained by developing an electrostatic latent image of the patch formed on the image bearing member, and a calibration unit configured to perform calibration on the basis of the calorimetric value obtained by the calorimetric measurement unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2009
    Publication date: July 23, 2009
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yingying Fan, Hideki Kubo, Shugo Higuchi
  • Publication number: 20090060538
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus which forms an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive drum, serving as an image carrier, develops the image using toners of a plurality of colors, and transfers a toner image onto a printing medium in accordance with an electrophotographic process. A toner consumption amount detection unit detects the toner consumption amount of each of the toners of the plurality of colors, a decision unit decides a color to be calibrated, based on the detected toner consumption amount of each color, a patch sensor detects the density of a patch of the decided color by generating the patch at a predetermined position on the photosensitive drum serving as an image carrier, and an adjustment unit adjusts the printing density of the color decided by the decision unit, based on the detected patch density.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2008
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shugo Higuchi, Hideki Kubo, Mizue Morishita
  • Publication number: 20080291476
    Abstract: A color signal conversion apparatus for converting a color signal of an input gamut to a color signal of an output gamut is provided. First, a target gamut for gamut mapping carried out on the input gamut is set, after which an evaluation function is determined for evaluating the difference between the target gamut and the results of gamut mapping performed on the input gamut using initialized mapping parameters. Then, the mapping parameters are determined based on the evaluation function so that the difference is minimum. The color signal of the input gamut is then mapped to the output gamut based on the determined mapping parameters and constraining conditions. This makes it possible to achieve favorable gamut mapping based on optimal mapping parameters that have been determined automatically.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2008
    Publication date: November 27, 2008
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shugo Higuchi