Patents by Inventor Go Araki

Go Araki 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).

  • Patent number: 11973914
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a scanning unit configured to form an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductor by scanning the photoconductor with one or more scanning beams in a main scanning direction based on an image signal, repetitively in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction; a generating unit configured to perform halftone processing on image data to generate the image signal; and a storage unit configured to store correction information. The correction information is set such that start positions of a plurality of scanning lines are linearly displaced to either a negative side or a positive side of the main scanning direction along the sub-scanning direction, in accordance with a direction of a first vector forming a smaller angle with the sub-scanning direction among two vectors in the halftone processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Go Araki, Mitsuhiro Obara
  • Publication number: 20240070420
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus includes: a unit configured to determine a first region, which is within a range from where a distance from a first edge of an image is a first value to a second value, and a second region, which is within a range from where a distance from the first edge is the second value to a third value; and a decision unit configured to, for each of a plurality of first pixels included in the first region and a plurality of second pixels included in the second region, decide an amount of reduction from an exposure amount, wherein the decision unit makes the amount of reduction of each of the plurality of first pixels larger than the amount of reduction of each of the plurality of second pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventors: YUKI HORIUCHI, GO ARAKI, GO SHINDO
  • Publication number: 20230269340
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a scanning unit configured to form an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductor by scanning the photoconductor with one or more scanning beams in a main scanning direction based on an image signal, repetitively in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction; a generating unit configured to perform halftone processing on image data to generate the image signal; and a storage unit configured to store correction information. The correction information is set such that start positions of a plurality of scanning lines are linearly displaced to either a negative side or a positive side of the main scanning direction along the sub-scanning direction, in accordance with a direction of a first vector forming a smaller angle with the sub-scanning direction among two vectors in the halftone processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2023
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Inventors: GO ARAKI, MITSUHIRO OBARA
  • Patent number: 11604422
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a storage unit configured to store pattern information and a generation unit configured to generate a drive signal for driving an exposure unit. The pattern information indicates a plurality of exposure patterns for a first pixel, the plurality of exposure patterns are selected such that whether exposure patterns that are identical to each other among the plurality of exposure patterns are adjacent to each other, or two exposure patterns that are different from each other among the plurality of exposure patterns are adjacent to each other in the main scanning direction, the non-exposure regions are not consecutively present between the two exposure patterns, and in a case where the plurality of exposure patterns are consecutively used in the main scanning direction, the generation unit randomly selects an exposure pattern to be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Go Araki
  • Publication number: 20220252998
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a storage unit configured to store pattern information and a generation unit configured to generate a drive signal for driving an exposure unit. The pattern information indicates a plurality of exposure patterns for a first pixel, the plurality of exposure patterns are selected such that whether exposure patterns that are identical to each other among the plurality of exposure patterns are adjacent to each other, or two exposure patterns that are different from each other among the plurality of exposure patterns are adjacent to each other in the main scanning direction, the non-exposure regions are not consecutively present between the two exposure patterns, and in a case where the plurality of exposure patterns are consecutively used in the main scanning direction, the generation unit randomly selects an exposure pattern to be used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2022
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Inventor: Go Araki
  • Patent number: 10990053
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a storage unit configured to store correction data; an identifying unit configured to identify a correction amount for a correction target pixel based on the correction data stored in the storage unit; a correction unit configured to correct an exposure amount of the correction target pixel among a plurality of pixels indicated by image data, from an exposure amount indicated by the image data, based on the correction amount for the correction target pixel; and an image forming unit configured to form an image based on an exposure amount after correction by the correction unit. The correction data includes only a correction amount corresponding to each of representative parameter values of a plurality of parameter values of a parameter for varying the correction amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Go Araki, Yoshihiro Mitsui
  • Publication number: 20200379392
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a storage unit configured to store correction data; an identifying unit configured to identify a correction amount for a correction target pixel, based on the correction data stored in the storage unit; a correction unit configured to correct an exposure amount of the correction target pixel among a plurality of pixels indicated by image data, from an exposure amount indicated by the image data, based on the correction amount for the correction target pixel; and an image forming unit configured to form an image based on an exposure amount after correction by the correction unit. The correction data includes only a correction amount corresponding to each of representative parameter values of a plurality of parameter values of a first parameter for varying the correction amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Inventors: Go Araki, Yoshihiro Mitsui
  • Patent number: 10824104
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus configured to form an image in a first mode and in a second mode in which the image forming apparatus is operated under an image forming condition in which developer supplying capability from a developer carrying member to an image bearing member is increased to form the image, the image forming apparatus including: a determination unit configured to determine whether an input image is an image in a predetermined condition in which the input image is a fine line having a predetermined width or less, a miniature image, or a character having predetermined points or less; and a correction unit configured to set a line width thin or lighten density for an image determined as the image in the predetermined condition by the determination unit at a time of forming the image in the second mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Go Araki
  • Patent number: 10545446
    Abstract: The present invention performs inplane uneven density correction that suppresses a number of tone correction properties and has few correction residuals. Accordingly, a holding unit of an apparatus of the present invention holds a plurality of tone correction properties respectively corresponding to a plurality of spot diameters that divide a range of a spot diameter of a light exposed on a surface of a photoreceptor by a predetermined interval. In addition a setting unit sets a tone correction property selected from the plurality of tone correction properties based on a spot diameter on the photoreceptor for a pixel corresponding to pixel data C. A correction unit corrects the pixel data C based on the set tone correction property, to generate tone correction data Cc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoichi Takikawa, Ryosuke Otani, Hidenori Kanazawa, Go Araki, Hisashi Ishikawa
  • Publication number: 20190250546
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus configured to form an image in a first mode and in a second mode in which the image forming apparatus is operated under an image forming condition in which developer supplying capability from a developer carrying member to an image bearing member is increased to form the image, the image forming apparatus including: a determination unit configured to determine whether an input image is an image in a predetermined condition in which the input image is a fine line having a predetermined width or less, a miniature image, or a character having predetermined points or less; and a correction unit configured to set a line width thin or lighten density for an image determined as the image in the predetermined condition by the determination unit at a time of forming the image in the second mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2019
    Publication date: August 15, 2019
    Inventor: Go Araki
  • Patent number: 10261436
    Abstract: In a case where another first region exists which faces the edge pixel across a second region on a line in a predetermined direction passing through the edge pixel of the first region, the correcting unit selects a correction amount for correcting the exposure amount applied by the exposing unit for the pixel to be corrected from information describing a plurality of correction amounts in accordance with a first number of pixels being a number of pixels on the line within the second region between the first region and the other first region and corrects the exposure amount for the pixel to be corrected in accordance with the selected correction amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Go Araki
  • Patent number: 10194053
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention acquires first correction characteristics representing an output density for an input gradation value at a reference position in a main scanning direction and second correction characteristics representing a relative relationship of an output density at a predetermined position in the main scanning direction with the output density at the reference position in the main scanning direction. Then, the image forming apparatus corrects image data corresponding to the predetermined position in the main scanning direction based on the first correction characteristics and the second correction characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryosuke Otani, Hidenori Kanazawa, Go Araki, Yoichi Takikawa, Hisashi Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 10073370
    Abstract: The present invention performs inplane uneven density correction that suppresses a number of tone correction properties and has few correction residuals. Accordingly, a correction unit corrects pixel data D based on a plurality of tone correction properties respectively corresponding to a plurality of spot diameters of a light to expose on a surface of a photoreceptor, and to generate a plurality of pieces of correction data D1 and D2. A setting unit sets a ratio Rb based on a spot diameter on the photoreceptor of a pixel corresponding to the pixel data D. A blending unit generates tone correction data Dc by blending the plurality of pieces of correction data D1 and D2 based on the ratio Rb.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoichi Takikawa, Ryosuke Otani, Hidenori Kanazawa, Go Araki, Hisashi Ishikawa
  • Publication number: 20180224768
    Abstract: In a case where another first region exists which faces the edge pixel across a second region on a line in a predetermined direction passing through the edge pixel of the first region, the correcting unit selects a correction amount for correcting the exposure amount applied by the exposing unit for the pixel to be corrected from information describing a plurality of correction amounts in accordance with a first number of pixels being a number of pixels on the line within the second region between the first region and the other first region and corrects the exposure amount for the pixel to be corrected in accordance with the selected correction amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2018
    Publication date: August 9, 2018
    Inventor: Go Araki
  • Patent number: 9958803
    Abstract: In a case where another first region exists which faces the edge pixel across a second region on a line in a predetermined direction passing through the edge pixel of the first region, the correcting unit selects a correction amount for correcting the exposure amount applied by the exposing unit for the pixel to be corrected from information describing a plurality of correction amounts in accordance with a first number of pixels being a number of pixels on the line within the second region between the first region and the other first region and corrects the exposure amount for the pixel to be corrected in accordance with the selected correction amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Go Araki
  • Patent number: 9958804
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an identifying unit configured to identify on basis of image data, a pixel to be corrected from a plurality of pixels of an image to be formed from the image data, a holding unit configured to hold a plurality of correction information pieces describing correction amounts for exposure amounts, and a correcting unit configured to select a correction information piece from the plurality of correction information pieces on basis of distances between one of the pixels to be corrected and a plurality of edges of the image formed from the image data and to correct an exposure amount to be applied by an exposing unit to the pixel to be corrected on basis of the selected correction information piece from an exposure amount corresponding to the image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuu Matsuda, Go Araki
  • Patent number: 9927735
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive member; an exposure unit configured to divide one pixel into a plurality of pixel pieces and perform exposure on a pixel piece-by-pixel piece basis, to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member; a determination unit configured to determine, based on image data, an isolated pixel surrounded by blank pixels in the electrostatic latent image; a selection unit configured to select a correction target pixel from the blank pixels surrounding the isolated pixel; and a correction unit configured to correct the image data so as to expose a pixel piece of the correction target pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Go Araki, Hiroyuki Yamazaki, Takaomi Uezono, Hidenori Kanazawa
  • Publication number: 20170315465
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive member; an exposure unit configured to divide one pixel into a plurality of pixel pieces and perform exposure on a pixel piece-by-pixel piece basis, to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member; a determination unit configured to determine, based on image data, an isolated pixel surrounded by blank pixels in the electrostatic latent image; a selection unit configured to select a correction target pixel from the blank pixels surrounding the isolated pixel; and a correction unit configured to correct the image data so as to expose a pixel piece of the correction target pixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2017
    Publication date: November 2, 2017
    Inventors: Go Araki, Hiroyuki Yamazaki, Takaomi Uezono, Hidenori Kanazawa
  • Patent number: 9772578
    Abstract: There is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: a scanning unit configured to scan, in accordance with image signals, a photosensitive member with laser light in a main scanning direction at a scanning speed that is not constant; an image signal generation unit configured to generate image signals that are changed such that the faster the scanning speed is, the narrower an image signal width becomes; a clock signal generation unit configured to generate sampling clock signals for sampling the image signals whose image signal width is changed such that the faster the scanning speed is, the shorter a sampling interval becomes; and a count unit configured to count image signals whose image signal width is changed based on the sampling clock signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuki Nakajima, Go Araki, Hidenori Kanazawa
  • Patent number: 9665031
    Abstract: A scanning unit performs scanning over a photosensitive member with a laser beam irradiated from a light source. A width correction unit corrects exposure time. A luminance correction unit corrects luminance of the laser beam for forming latent images. A density correction unit corrects a density value of each of the pixels of the image data according to a scanning position of the laser beam on the surface of the photosensitive member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Osamu Nagasaki, Go Araki, Hidenori Kanazawa