JP2009130629A - Image forming apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain higher image quality by switching the existence/absence of the use of smoothing processing in accordance with resolution when correcting a deviation in an exposure position by pixel coordinate conversion. <P>SOLUTION: A converting means converts coordinates in a sub-scanning direction of one or more pixels necessary to relax an error among a plurality of pixels forming a line in an input image in order to relax the acquired error in a sub-scanning direction. An acquiring means executes smoothing processing of pixels located around the pixels whose coordinates are converted in order to relax a difference in level in a sub-scanning direction which is generated in an output image by coordinate conversion. A control means performs control so as to operate a smoothing means when resolution designated about the output image is less than prescribed resolution, and not to operate the smoothing means when the designated resolution is equal to or greater than the prescribed resolution. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image by irradiating an image carrier with a light beam.

  Electrophotographic copying machines are widely used in the home, office and light printing fields. This is because anyone can easily copy a manuscript image, print an electronic image created by a computer as a visible image on paper, and send / receive an image by a facsimile function.

  The electrophotographic technique is a technique for creating a visible image on a sheet by the following process. First, the photosensitive drum is uniformly charged and exposed on the photosensitive drum while scanning with a laser beam according to an image. As a result, an electrostatic image (latent image) is formed on the photosensitive drum. The electrostatic image is developed with toner, and the toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum. This toner image is transferred from the photosensitive drum onto the paper. The toner image is fixed on the paper by applying pressure and temperature to the toner on the paper with the fixing device. In this way, a permanent visible image is created.

  By the way, a color image forming apparatus normally includes four photosensitive drums. Through the electrophotographic process described above, toner images of different colors such as magenta, cyan, yellow, and black corresponding to the image data are formed on each photosensitive drum. Then, the toner images are transferred from the four photosensitive drums onto the intermediate transfer member with high accuracy and superimposed. Thereby, a color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer member. Thereafter, the transfer process and the fixing process described above are executed.

  In order to create a high-quality image in a color image forming apparatus, it is important to prevent a scanning line drawn in the main scanning direction by a laser beam from deviating from an ideal scanning line. A scanning line is a locus of scanning light. If the scanning line on the photosensitive drum is inclined or curved, the image quality is deteriorated. In addition, if the degree of inclination or curvature of the scanning line differs for each photosensitive drum, color misregistration (color unevenness) may occur in the finally formed color image.

Conventionally, a method for correcting this color misregistration has been proposed (Patent Document 1). According to this document, color shift is reduced by performing coordinate conversion of image data in accordance with the exposure shift amount on the photoconductor. In particular, according to this document, the halftone process is performed to reduce image degradation around the pixel whose coordinates have been converted.
JP 2006-159451 A

  The above-described prior art is extremely excellent in that it not only reduces color misregistration but also makes it difficult to see the steps that may occur around the pixels that have undergone coordinate transformation. However, no attention is paid to the control according to the resolution of the image data. For example, even if halftone processing is not performed, the level difference becomes less likely to be perceived by the human eye as the resolution becomes higher. On the other hand, if halftone processing is simply performed, there may be a problem that the thin line is slightly thickened. Thus, it may be desirable to perform halftone processing when forming an image at a low resolution.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve at least one of such problems and other problems. For example, an object of the present invention is to realize further higher image quality by switching whether or not to use a smoothing process according to the resolution when correcting the deviation of the exposure position by pixel coordinate conversion. Other issues can be understood throughout the specification.

  The present invention can be implemented as an image forming apparatus or a control method thereof. The image forming apparatus includes, for example, an exposure unit that exposes the image carrier while scanning the light beam in the main scanning direction, and an acquisition unit that acquires an error in the sub-scanning direction of the exposure position of the light beam on the image carrier. Is provided. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus includes, for example, a conversion unit, a smoothing unit, a control unit, and the like. The conversion unit sub-scans one or more pixels necessary for reducing the error among a plurality of pixels forming a line in the input image in order to reduce the error in the acquired sub-scanning direction. Convert coordinates in direction. The acquisition unit performs a smoothing process on pixels located around the pixel whose coordinates are converted in order to reduce a step in the sub-scanning direction generated in the output image due to the conversion of the coordinates. The control unit controls the smoothing unit to operate if the resolution designated for the output image is less than the predetermined resolution, and controls the smoothing unit not to operate unless the designated resolution is less than the predetermined resolution.

  According to the present invention, when correcting the deviation of the exposure position by pixel coordinate conversion, it is possible to realize further higher image quality by switching the use of the smoothing process according to the resolution.

  An embodiment of the present invention is shown below. The individual embodiments described below will help to understand various concepts, such as the superordinate concept, intermediate concept and subordinate concept of the present invention. Further, the technical scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the claims, and is not limited by the following individual embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of exposure scanning of laser light according to the embodiment. The photosensitive drum 101 is an example of an image carrier and may be called a photosensitive member. The surface of the photosensitive drum 101 is exposed while scanning with a laser beam 103 output from an exposure device (not shown). The exposure apparatus is an example of an exposure unit that exposes the image carrier while scanning a light beam in the main scanning direction, and is sometimes called a scanner apparatus, a scanning optical apparatus, or an optical scanning apparatus.

  The photosensitive drum 101 is uniformly charged by the primary charger 102 and then irradiated with the laser beam 103 changed to the scanning light. As a result, a latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the photosensitive drum 101.

  If an optical component such as a lens or a mirror through which the laser beam 103 passes is ideal, the scanning line (trajectory) drawn by the laser beam 103 is a straight line having a zero inclination. However, in practice, the inclination of the scanning line is not completely zero, and the scanning line may be curved. Such a phenomenon causes distortion of an output image in a monochromatic image forming apparatus, and causes color misregistration (color unevenness) in addition to image distortion in a multicolor image forming apparatus. In a multi-color image forming apparatus, a plurality of image forming units are provided, and the degree of scanning line inclination and the degree of curvature are different for each image forming unit, so that color misregistration occurs.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an example of an exposure apparatus according to the embodiment. The semiconductor laser 201 is an example of a light source that outputs a light beam, and is ON / OFF controlled according to image data. The BD sensor 202 is a light receiving element that receives the laser light reflected by the polygon mirror 203. BD is an abbreviation for beam detect (beam detection). The BD sensor 202 outputs a BD signal 204 once for each main scan. Therefore, the BD signal 204 is used as a reference signal for various operations synchronized with the scanning light. In addition, dg in the drawing indicates the width of a region where an image is actually formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 101.

  The fθ lens 205 is an optical component for correcting the difference in focal length due to the image height of the scanning light. The folding mirror 206 is a mirror for guiding the scanning light to the photosensitive drum 101. From the start of scanning to the end of scanning, the fθ lens 205 and the folding mirror 206 are designed so that the scanning light scans at a constant speed and straight in the main scanning direction. Actually, as an error in the sub-scanning direction, a bending component, an inclination component, and an offset component with respect to the design scanning position corresponding to the main scanning position (image height) can occur. The main scanning direction of the photosensitive drum 101 is a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 101. The sub-scanning direction is a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction.

  3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating examples of a bending component, an inclination component, and an offset component with respect to the design scanning position according to the image height. The horizontal axis indicates the position (image height) x in the main scanning direction. The vertical axis indicates the position y in the sub-scanning direction.

If the processing accuracy and mounting accuracy of the lens and mirror of the exposure apparatus are as designed, the scanning line is a straight line with zero inclination and zero y-axis intercept. That is, in an ideal scanning line, the sub-scanning position is 0 at any image height. However, in practice, the scanning line 301 becomes, for example, a quadratic curve due to the influence of processing accuracy and attachment accuracy (FIG. 3A). The scanning line 301 can be expressed as y = A · x ² + offset_b. Here, offset_b represents an actual scanning line offset amount with respect to an ideal scanning line in the sub-scanning direction. A is a coefficient corresponding to the curvature of the scanning line.

  The scanning line 302 shown in FIG. 3B has an inclination (i_am / dg) and an offset (y-axis intercept) offset_i. Depending on the degree of processing accuracy and mounting accuracy, the scanning line is a straight line having such an inclination. That is, the scanning line 302 can be expressed as y = (i_am / dg) · x + offset_i.

FIG. 3C is a diagram showing a relationship between an example of the scanning line 303 having a more complicated error component and a CCD for measuring the error. The CCD is a sensor having a plurality of light receiving elements arranged in a line. The scanning line 303 has a complicated error component obtained by adding the scanning lines 301 and 302 described above. The scanning line 303 can be expressed as y = A · x ² + (i_am / dg) · x + offset_i + offset_b. This fact means that the error can be separated into the primary component and the secondary component from the actually measured scanning line 303.

  In order to reliably measure the error in the sub-scanning direction of the scanning line with high accuracy, for example, the CCD 304 having a pitch of 10 μm is used in the sub-scanning direction, and the error is measured at 5 points obtained by dividing the image height region of the scanning light into five. To do. The five points include, for example, at least a pixel having an image height of 0 as the center of the image height in the main scanning direction, a pixel having an image height of −3500 as an end in the negative direction of the image height, and a plus of the image height. It is assumed that a pixel having an image height of 3500 that is an end portion in the direction is included. After measuring the error at these five points, approximation is performed using a quadratic curve. The CCD 304 is an example of a light receiving unit that receives a light beam.

  The error component approximated to the quadratic curve can be expressed by the following equation as described above, where y is an address in the sub-scanning direction and x is an address in the main scanning direction.

y = A · x ² + B · x + offset_m (1)
However, B = (i_am / dg).

  Further, data is calculated by separating equation (1) into a curved component of a quadratic curve and a slope component of the linear curve. The inclination component can be expressed as a linear function that connects a measured value when the image height x is −3500 and a measured value when the image height x is 3500.

y = B · x + offset_i (2)
For the bending component, a quadratic term may be extracted from the equation (1).

y = A · x ² + offset_b (3)
Here, offset_m in equation (1) is
offset_m = offset_b + offset_i (4)
It is. Substituting the equation (4) into the above (1), the following equation is obtained.

y = A · x ² + B · x + (offset_b + offset_i) (5)
It can be expressed. As described above, the error in the sub-scanning direction is an error generated due to the lens through which the light beam passes and the mirror that reflects the light beam, and is an error component that can be approximated by a quadratic function.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control unit according to the embodiment. The error acquisition unit 400 measures the error at each main scanning position using the CCD 304 and stores it in the memory 410. The memory 410 is an example of a storage unit that stores an error for each main scanning position (image height).

  As described above, the error acquisition unit 400 measures actual errors at several main scanning positions, calculates a function of a quadratic curve from the measured errors, and calculates errors at other main scanning positions from the functions. May be. The calculated error is stored in a memory 410 such as a RAM. Therefore, the error acquisition unit 400 is an example of a calculation unit that calculates a difference between the sub-scanning position of the received light beam and the reference sub-scanning position as a reference as an error. The reference sub-scanning position serving as a reference is, for example, y = 0 which means a scanning light trajectory when there is no error.

  On the other hand, the error may be measured in advance at the time of factory shipment, and the error data may be stored in a non-volatile storage device (eg, memory 410) such as a ROM. In this case, there is an advantage that the CCD 304 is unnecessary. The memory 410 outputs an error to the coordinate conversion unit 401 using the count value of the address counter that is reset when the BD signal is input as a read address. The address counter is incremented by one every time data for one pixel is output. As described above, the error acquisition unit 400 is an example of an acquisition unit that acquires an error in the sub-scanning direction of the exposure position of the light beam on the image carrier.

  The coordinate conversion unit 401 determines the coordinates of the pixel to be output to the subsequent stage in accordance with the error of the main scanning position of interest for the input image data, and outputs the pixel data of the determined coordinate. That is, the coordinates in the sub-scanning direction of each pixel are converted according to the error so that the actual scanning line becomes an ideal straight line. As described above, the coordinate conversion unit 401 converts the coordinates in the sub-scanning direction of one or more pixels necessary for mitigating errors among a plurality of pixels forming a line in the input image. It is an example. Thereby, the error in the sub-scanning direction is reduced.

  The resolution determining unit 402 determines the resolution of the output image from the image data. For example, the resolution determination unit 402 specifies the resolution of the output image specified in the input image as 600, 1200, 2400 [dpi]. As described above, the resolution determination unit 402 is an example of a specifying unit that specifies the resolution specified for the output image. Note that the resolution determination unit 402 is preliminarily set with resolution information that must be smoothed. For example, at 600 dpi, a step can be visually recognized by the human eye around the pixel whose coordinates have been converted. Therefore, if the designated resolution is 600 dpi or less, the smoothing process is executed. On the other hand, at 1200 dpi or higher, it is rare that a step is visually recognized without performing smoothing.

  If the designated resolution is a resolution that does not require the smoothing process, the resolution determination unit 402 sends a switch signal for not using the smoothing unit 405 to the switches 403 and 404. In response to this, the switches 403 and 404 switch the signal path so as to shortcut the smoothing unit 405. On the other hand, if the designated resolution is a resolution that requires a smoothing process, the resolution determination unit 402 sends a switching signal for using the smoothing unit 405 to the switches 403 and 404. In response to this, the switches 403 and 404 switch the signal path so that the smoothing unit 405 becomes a part of the signal path. Note that the smoothing unit 405 is an example of a smoothing unit that performs a smoothing process on pixels located around the pixel whose coordinates have been converted in order to reduce a step in the sub-scanning direction that occurs in the output image due to the conversion of the coordinates. . The resolution discriminating unit 402 and the switches 403 and 404 control the smoothing unit to operate if the resolution specified for the output image is less than the predetermined resolution, and not to operate the smoothing unit if the specified resolution is higher than the predetermined resolution. It is an example of a control means. The exposure control unit 406 outputs an image signal corresponding to the image data input from the previous stage to the semiconductor laser 201.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, if the resolution specified for the output image is less than the predetermined resolution (eg, a low resolution such as 600 dpi), coordinate conversion and smoothing processing are applied. On the other hand, if the designated resolution is equal to or higher than the predetermined resolution (e.g., a high resolution such as 1200 dpi or higher), the smoothing process is not performed although the coordinate conversion is performed. As a result, it will be possible to more appropriately correct the deviation of the exposure position in the sub-scanning direction from the low resolution to the high resolution as compared with the case where the coordinate conversion and the smoothing process are uniformly applied.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of correction of misalignment in the sub-scanning direction at low resolution according to the embodiment. One line of image data 501 corresponds to one line in the input image data, and includes a plurality of pixels 502. When the photosensitive drum 101 is scanned using this image data, it is desirable that the Nth line along the main scanning direction that is the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 101 is formed in the latent image 503. However, due to the bending and tilting of the lens and mirror and the mounting error of the photosensitive drum 101 and the exposure apparatus, the line L1 actually has a tilt. That is, the laser beam is scanned not to scan only the N line on the photosensitive drum 101 but to extend from the Nth line to the (N + 3) th line. A beam spot 504 indicates a spot for one pixel formed on the photosensitive drum by the laser beam.

  Therefore, if the bitmap data of the image data is corrected so as to alleviate the bending or inclination of the scanning line, it is possible to correct the positional deviation in the sub-scanning direction. Specifically, in the latent image 503 when correction is not performed, coordinate conversion is not performed for pixels on the photosensitive drum 101 where the spot falls on the Nth line. However, for a pixel in which a spot is formed on the (N + 1) th line, the coordinate conversion unit 401 converts the coordinate so that it becomes the (N-1) th pixel in the bitmap data. Similarly, the coordinate conversion unit 401 is configured so that a pixel in which a spot is formed in the N + 2th and N + 3th lines in the latent image 503 becomes the N-2th and N-3th lines on the bitmap data. Transforms the coordinates. In the bitmap data 505 that has undergone coordinate transformation, for example, line switching (coordinate transformation) is performed between the pixel 506 and the pixel 507 as a boundary.

  Note that, at low resolution, when the pixels change lines on the bitmap data in this way, the steps are likely to be noticeable. Therefore, by adding a half dot having a reduced image density as a pixel located around the pixel whose coordinates have been converted, it becomes possible to make the change point (step) associated with line transfer inconspicuous. In the bitmap data 505 that has undergone coordinate conversion and smoothing processing, half dots are added around the pixels 506 and 507. Such a smoothing process is an effective technique especially for reducing deterioration in image quality due to a step generated when image data having a low resolution is output.

  A latent image 508 is formed using the bitmap data thus corrected. In the latent image 508, spots are within one pixel before and after the Nth line on the photosensitive drum 101. In other words, the inclination and bending of the formed scanning line are appropriately corrected. . Furthermore, since the smoothing process is performed around the pixels for which line switching has been executed, the deterioration of the line image quality due to the level difference is alleviated.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of position shift correction in the sub-scanning direction at high resolution according to the embodiment. The two-line image data 601 corresponds to two lines in the input image data and includes a plurality of pixels 602. If the high resolution is 1200 dpi and the low resolution is 600 dpi, two lines at the high resolution correspond to one line at the low resolution.

  A latent image 603 indicates a latent image formed when the coordinate conversion process is not operated. As described with reference to FIG. 5, the scanning line L2 that should be a straight line has an inclination. Bitmap data 605 indicates bitmap data that has been subjected to coordinate conversion processing. Unlike the case described with reference to FIG. 5, the smoothing process is omitted. This is because, at high resolution, the lost profit (uniformity of the thickness of the scanning line) is better than the profit from smoothing (making the step difficult to see). A latent image 608 indicates a latent image formed using the bitmap data 605 that has been subjected to coordinate transformation. It will be understood that an almost ideal scan line without inclination is formed.

  In the case of such a relatively high resolution, although the coordinate conversion is operated, the smoothing process is prohibited, thereby suppressing the side effect (eg, thickening of the scanning line) while correcting the positional deviation in the sub-scanning direction. Can be corrected.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control method of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. In step S <b> 701, the error acquisition unit 400 acquires an error in the sub-scanning direction of the exposure position of the light beam on the photosensitive drum 101. For example, the error acquisition unit 400 calculates the difference between the sub-scanning position of the light beam received by the CCD 304 that receives the light beam and the reference sub-scanning position as a reference as an error. Alternatively, the error acquisition unit 400 reads error data corresponding to each image height (position in the main scanning direction) from the memory 410.

  In step S <b> 702, the coordinate conversion unit 401 requires one of the plurality of pixels forming a line in the input image to reduce the error in order to reduce the acquired error in the sub-scanning direction. The coordinates in the sub-scanning direction of the above pixels are converted. As a result, the above-described line transfer is realized, and as a result, the inclination and the bend are even corrected.

  In step S703, the resolution determination unit 402 identifies the resolution specified for the output image. Usually, since the resolution information is included in the input image data or control signal, the resolution determination unit 402 can specify the resolution. In step S704, it is determined whether the designated resolution is less than a threshold value (predetermined resolution). The predetermined resolution is determined from the viewpoint that the level difference is less than the visual recognition limit of the human eye without performing the smoothing process. As described above, for example, at 1200 dpi or higher, the level difference will be below the human eye's visual recognition limit without performing the smoothing process. On the other hand, the predetermined resolution is also a resolution that is a boundary between the profit obtained by the smoothing process and the profit lost. At relatively low resolutions, such as 600 dpi, the benefits gained by the smoothing process, such as step relief, outweigh the benefits lost. In addition, at a relatively high resolution such as 1200 dpi, the profit lost by the smoothing process, such as the enlargement of the thin line, wins the obtained profit. Therefore, it may be desirable to determine the predetermined resolution in consideration of the interests of the smoothing process.

  If the resolution is not less than the predetermined resolution, that is, if the resolution is equal to or higher than the predetermined resolution, the process proceeds to step S706 without operating the smoothing unit 405. If it is less than the predetermined resolution, the process proceeds to step S705 in order to operate the smoothing unit 405. Note that the resolution determining unit 402 may operate the smoothing unit if the specified resolution is the first resolution (eg, 600 dpi). Further, the resolution determination unit 402 may perform control so that the smoothing unit is not operated when the specified resolution is a second resolution (eg, 1200 dpi) higher than the first resolution.

  In step S <b> 705, the smoothing unit 405 executes a smoothing process on pixels located around the pixel whose coordinates have been converted in order to reduce a step in the sub-scanning direction that occurs in the output image due to the conversion of the coordinates. The smoothing process is the halftone process described above.

  In step S706, the exposure control unit 406 executes exposure control according to the image data whose position in the sub-scanning direction is corrected. Thereby, the exposure apparatus can draw a substantially ideal scanning line on the photosensitive drum 101. In step S707, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 101 is developed, the formed toner image is transferred to a sheet, and the toner image is finally fixed on the sheet.

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus including the sheet material conveying device according to the embodiment. The image forming apparatus 100 is a so-called laser beam printer. Note that the image forming apparatus according to the present invention can also be realized as a printing apparatus, a printer, a copier, a multifunction peripheral, a facsimile, or the like.

  The image forming apparatus 100 includes image forming stations 150Y, 150M, 150C, and 150K provided in accordance with the number of developing materials (for example, Y, M, C, and K toners) to be used. Each image forming station includes a photosensitive drum 101 as an image carrier, a developing device 132, a scanner 133 as an exposure device, and a toner container 104.

  As is well known, an electrostatic latent image is formed when the scanner 133 exposes the uniformly charged photosensitive drum 101 in accordance with an image signal. The electrostatic latent image is developed into a visible image (toner image) by the developing device 132. The visible image for each toner is superimposed and transferred onto the intermediate transfer member 106 by the primary transfer roller 105. The color visible image on the intermediate transfer member 106 is transferred to the sheet material by the secondary transfer roller 107. The color visible image is fixed on the sheet material by the fixing device 108.

  By the way, a sheet material (sometimes called a recording material, a transfer material, or a sheet) S is conveyed from the sheet trays 109 and 110 via the conveyance path 112 and the double-side conveyance path 113. A plurality of sensors for detecting the arrival and presence of the sheet material are disposed in the middle of the conveyance path 112 and the double-side conveyance path 113. As these sensors, for example, a media sensor 111 which is an example of an optical sensor, a flag type registration sensor 114 arranged adjacent to the position of the media sensor 111, and other sheet detection sensors 115, 116, 117, There are 118, 119.

  The sheet material detection signals output from these sensors are used, for example, for registration, sheet material jam detection, sheet material actual length detection, and transfer timing control. Registration refers to control for matching the conveyance timing of the sheet material with the conveyance timing of the color visible image formed on the intermediate transfer member 106.

  The image forming apparatus 100 is provided with various conveying rollers 121 to 128 for conveying the sheet material S. In particular, the conveyance roller 121 is called a registration roller because it is used for registration. In the present embodiment, the registration sensor 114 and the media sensor 111 described above are provided in the vicinity of the conveyance roller 121 serving as the registration roller.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, whether or not to perform smoothing is determined according to the designated resolution when correcting the error of the exposure position in the sub-scanning direction by coordinate conversion. For example, smoothing may be executed if the designated resolution is the first resolution, and smoothing may not be executed if the second resolution is higher than the first resolution. Therefore, careless execution of smoothing can prevent the enlargement of fine lines that has conventionally occurred.

  For example, the second resolution may be a resolution at which the level difference is equal to or lower than the visual recognition limit of human eyes without performing smoothing. In addition, it may be desirable that the predetermined resolution is a resolution that is a boundary between the profit obtained by the smoothing and the profit lost. For example, smoothing may be executed when there are more image quality benefits, and smoothing may be avoided when there are more image quality disadvantages.

  The error in the sub-scanning direction is an error that occurs due to the lens through which the light beam passes and the mirror that reflects the light beam, and is often an error component that can be approximated by a quadratic function, for example. Such an error is likely to cause color misregistration, so it is desirable to correct it.

It is a figure which shows an example of the exposure scanning of the laser beam which concerns on embodiment. It is the schematic which shows an example of the exposure apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the bending component according to image height, an inclination component, and the offset component with respect to a design scanning position. It is a figure which shows an example of the bending component according to image height, an inclination component, and the offset component with respect to a design scanning position. It is a figure which shows the relationship between an example of the scanning line 303 which has a more complicated error component, and the CCD sensor for measuring an error. It is a block diagram of a control part concerning an embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the position shift correction of the subscanning direction in the low resolution which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the position shift correction of the subscanning direction in the high resolution which concerns on embodiment. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for controlling the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the image forming apparatus provided with the sheet material conveying apparatus which concerns on embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

400 ... Error acquisition unit 401 ... Coordinate conversion unit 402 ... Resolution determination unit 403 ... Switch 404 ... Switch 405 ... Smoothing unit 406 ... Exposure control unit 406
410 ... memory

Claims (9)

An image forming apparatus,
Exposure means for exposing the image carrier while scanning the light beam in the main scanning direction;
An acquisition means for acquiring an error in the sub-scanning direction of the exposure position of the light beam on the image carrier;
In order to alleviate the acquired error in the sub-scanning direction, among the plurality of pixels forming a line in the input image, one or more pixels necessary for mitigating the error in the sub-scanning direction Conversion means for converting coordinates;
Smoothing means for performing a smoothing process on pixels located around the pixel in which the coordinates are converted in order to reduce a step in the sub-scanning direction generated in the output image due to the conversion of the coordinates;
Control means for operating the smoothing means if the specified resolution for the output image is less than a predetermined resolution, and for controlling the smoothing means not to operate unless the specified resolution is less than the predetermined resolution. An image forming apparatus. A specifying means for specifying a resolution designated for the output image;
The control means includes
If the specified resolution is the first resolution, the smoothing means is operated, and if the specified resolution is a second resolution higher than the first resolution, the smoothing means is not operated. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second resolution is a resolution at which the level difference is equal to or lower than a visual recognition limit of human eyes without performing the smoothing process.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined resolution is a resolution that is a boundary between a profit obtained by the smoothing process and a lost profit.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the smoothing process is a halftone process.   6. The error in the sub-scanning direction is an error component that can be approximated by a quadratic function due to a lens through which the light beam passes and a mirror that reflects the light beam. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit is a storage unit that stores the error for each main scanning position. The acquisition means includes
A light receiving means for receiving the light beam;
Calculating means for calculating, as an error, a difference between a sub-scanning position of the received light beam and a reference sub-scanning position serving as a reference;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: A method of controlling an image forming apparatus that forms an image by exposing an image carrier while scanning a light beam in a main scanning direction,
An acquisition step of acquiring an error in the sub-scanning direction of the exposure position of the light beam on the image carrier;
In order to alleviate the acquired error in the sub-scanning direction, one or more pixels in the sub-scanning direction required to alleviate the error among a plurality of pixels forming a line in the input image A conversion process for converting coordinates;
A smoothing step of performing a smoothing process on pixels located around the pixel whose coordinates are converted in order to reduce a step in the sub-scanning direction generated in the output image by the conversion of the coordinates;
A control step of performing the smoothing step if the specified resolution for the output image is less than a predetermined resolution, and controlling the smoothing step so that the smoothing step is not executed unless the specified resolution is less than the predetermined resolution. And a control method for the image forming apparatus.

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