Image forming apparatus

• US 6,525,840 B1
• Filed: 09/08/1998
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Konica Corporation (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Corporation (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Haraguchi, Tsuyoshi, Ohkoshi, Yasuo, Yamanaka, Yoshiaki, Kurimoto, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, II, Jerome
• Assistant Examiner(s): Worku, Negussie
• Application Number:
  US09/149,141
• Time in Patent Office: 1,631 Days
• Field of Search: 358/296, 358/486, 358/474, 358/302, 358/298, 348/296, 382/169, 382/216, 355/40, 396/617
• US Class Current: 358/296
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 27/72 Controlling or varying light intensity, spectral composition, or exposure time in photographic printing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/203 Simultaneous scanning of two or more separate pictures , e.g. two sides of the same sheet refeeding a sheet for double-sided scanning H04N1/00572
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2038 lying in the same plane

Abstract

In an image forming apparatus provided with an exposing section and a conveyor for conveying a plurality of light sensitive materials relative to the exposing section, the plurality of light sensitive materials are arranged in parallel in the conveying direction so that the exposing section is divided into plural exposing blocks corresponding to the plurality of light sensitive materials. There are provided a memory to memorize plural correction amounts each set based on a characteristic of one of the plurality of light sensitive materials, wherein the plural correction amounts are correlated with the plural exposing blocks in accordance with the corresponding light sensitive material; and a correcting section to correct the amount of light for each exposing block on the basis of the corresponding correction amount.

Claims

1. An apparatus for forming an image on a plurality of light sensitive materials, comprising;

an exposing device having an exposing region on which each of the plurality of light sensitive materials in a conveying direction to the exposing region, the plurality of conveyors arranged side by side so that the plurality of light sensitive materials are placed side by side and conveyed in parallel to each other, wherein the exposing region is arranged to be perpendicular to the conveying direction so that the exposing region crosses the plurality of light sensitive materials and is divided into plural exposing sub-regions corresponding in position to the plurality of light sensitive materials;

a memory to memorize a plurality of correction data each determined based on a characteristic of each of the plurality of light sensitive materials, wherein the plurality of correction data are set separately for each of the plural exposing sub-regions in accordance with the characteristic of a corresponding one of the plurality of light sensitive materials; and

a correcting section to correct an amount of light at each of the plurality of exposing sub-regions based on a corresponding one of the plurality of correction data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a common conveyor provided between the plurality of conveyors and the exposing region, and to convey the plurality of light sensitive materials simultaneously.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of light sensitive materials are stored in a corresponding one of plural magazines mounted side by side at positions corresponding to the plurality of conveyors.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of conveyors feeds out a corresponding one of the plurality of light sensitive materials from a corresponding one of the plural magazines.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of the plural magazines is provided with identification code, the apparatus further comprises a reading device to read the identification code, the memory memorizes the identification code in correlation with a corresponding one of the plurality of correction data and the correcting section obtains the corresponding one of the plurality of correction data based on the identification code read by the reading device and sets the corresponding one of the plurality of correction data for the corresponding one of the plural exposing sub-regions.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the exposing device exposes a test image on a light sensitive material stored in each of the plural magazines and correction data are obtained from the test image on the light sensitive material.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein density levels of the test image are optically read, the correction data are calculated based on the density levels, and the correction data and the identification code are correlated and memorized in the memory.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the correcting section converts image data for each of the plural exposing sub-regions on the basis of the corresponding one of the plurality of correction data so as to regulate the amount of light.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a finish setting section to set a same finish request to make plural images on plural light sensitive materials with the same finish; and

a control section to control the exposing device to expose the plural images to be made with the same finish on a light sensitive material conveyed by the same one of the plurality of conveyors.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the same finish request is made based on one of print sheet number information, approximate scene information and continuous photographing scene information.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the finish setting section includes an input device to input the same finish request.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a sorting device including a device to collect the plural light sensitive materials with the same finish at a predetermined position.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the exposing device comprises an array light source in which a plurality of light emitting elements are aligned along a line and the plurality of light emitting elements are divided so as to form the plural exposing sub-regions.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of conveyors are constructed to convey to a large size light sensitive material cooperatively.

15. A method of forming an image on a plurality of light sensitive materials, comprising:

placing a plurality of light sensitive materials side by side at positions corresponding to a plurality of conveyors arranged side by side;

conveying the plurality of light sensitive materials in parallel to each other by the plurality of conveyors in a conveying direction to an exposing device;

wherein the exposing device has an exposing region on which each of the plurality of light sensitive materials is exposed with light to form an image, and wherein the exposing region is arranged to be perpendicular to the conveying direction so that the exposing region crosses the plurality of light sensitive materials and is divided into plural exposing sub-regions corresponding in position to the plurality of light sensitive materials;

memorizing plural correction data each determined based on a characteristic of each of the plurality of light sensitive materials, wherein the plurality of correction data are set separately for each of the plural exposing sub-regions in accordance with the characteristic of a corresponding one of the plurality of light sensitive materials; and

correcting an amount of light at each of the plurality of exposing sub-regions based on a corresponding one of the plurality of correction data.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein image data for each of the plural exposing sub-regions are converted on the basis of the corresponding one of the plurality of correction data so as to regulate the amount of light.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

setting a same finish request to make plural images on plural light sensitive materials with the same finish; and

controlling the exposing device to expose the plural images to be made with the same finish on the light sensitive materials at the same one of the plural exposing sub-regions.