Laser print apparatus with toner explosion compensation

• US 7,697,169 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2004
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Marvell International Technology, Ltd. (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Technology, Ltd. (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Moss, Roy Gideon, Keithley, Douglas Gene
• Primary Examiner(s): Poon; King Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhu; Richard Z
• Application Number:
  US10/977,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20060092438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,992 Days
• Field of Search: 345/611, 358 326- 327, 358/1.2, 358/1.9, 358/2.99, 358/532, 382/159, 382/164, 382/165, 382/170, 382/171, 382/176, 382181-269
• US Class Current: 358/3.27
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/045 with means for charging or discharging distinct portions of the charge pattern on the recording material, e.g. for contrast enhancement or discharging non-image areas G03G15/36, G03G21/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40037 the reproducing element being a laser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/409 Edge or detail enhancement; Noise or error suppression

Abstract

A printing apparatus comprises a processor comprising registers, and a memory configured to store image data. The processor is configured to load portions of the image data into the registers and perform toner explosion compensation on the portions of the image data loaded in the registers, excluding image data loaded in boundary positions in the registers.

Claims

1. A printing apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store image data; and

a processor in communication with the memory, the processor comprising registers, and configured to load a portion of the image data into the registers and perform toner explosion compensation by comparing a window of the image data to data indicative of toner explosion conditions and modifying at least a center pixel of the window of the image data based on the comparison of the window of the image data to the data indicative of toner explosion conditions, wherein the window is moved across the portion of the image data and toner explosion compensation is not applied when the window is located at a position such that the center pixel of the window is loaded in a boundary position of the registers,

wherein the boundary position is either a first column or a last column in the registers.

2. The printing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the registers comprise at least five registers.

3. The printing apparatus of claim 1, wherein each register comprises one of 16-bits, 32-bits, 64-bits, and 128-bits.

4. The printing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data indicative of toner explosion conditions is at least one pattern comprising five rows by three columns of pixel data.

5. The printing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the pixel data comprises 1- bit per pixel data.

6. The printing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the pixel data comprises 2- bit per pixel data.

7. The printing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a laser print engine in communication with the processor for printing the image data.

8. The printing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an input/output interface in communication with the processor and configured to receive the image data from a host.

9. The printing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor comprises a custom processor configured for performing custom toner explosion compensation instructions.

10. A printing system comprising:

a host; and

a printer coupled to the host, the printer comprising;

a memory configured to store image data received from the host; and

a processor in communication with the memory, the processor comprising registers, and configured to load a portion of the image data into the registers and perform toner explosion compensation by comparing a window of the image data to data indicative of toner explosion conditions and modifying at least a center pixel of the window of the image data based on the comparison of the window of the image data to the data indicative of toner explosion conditions, wherein the window is moved across the portion of the image data and toner explosion compensation is not applied when the window is located at a position such that the center pixel of the window is loaded in a boundary position of the registers,

wherein the boundary position is either a first column or a last column in the registers.

11. A method for performing toner explosion compensation on image data, the method comprising:

loading a first portion of the image data into registers;

comparing a window of the first portion of the image data contained to a toner explosion pattern as the window is moved across the first portion of the image data such that image data is not compared to a toner explosion pattern when the window is located at a position such that a center pixel of the window is loaded in a boundary position of the registers; and

modifying at least a center pixel of the window of the first portion of the image data contained only in the non-boundary positions of the registers based on the comparison,

wherein the boundary position of the registers is either a first column or a last column in the registers.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

loading a second portion of the image data into the registers;

comparing the second portion of the image data to the toner explosion pattern, excluding image data loaded in boundary positions in the registers; and

modifying the second portion of the image data based on the comparison.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein loading the first portion of the image data into the registers comprises loading a first portion of a row of the image data into the registers, and wherein loading the second portion of the image data into the registers comprises loading a second portion of the row of the image data into the registers.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein loading the second portion of the row of the image data comprises loading a portion of the row of image data adjacent the first portion of the row of the image data.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein loading the first portion of the image data into the registers comprises loading a portion of a row of the image data into a register.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein loading the portion of the row of the image data into the register comprises loading the portion of the row of the image data into one of a 16-bit register, a 32-bit register, a 64-bit register, and a 128-bit register.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein excluding image data loaded in boundary positions in the registers comprises excluding image data loaded in a first column and a last column of the register.

18. A printing apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store image data comprising a plurality of pixels; and

a processor configured to analyze all of the image data and configured to perform toner explosion compensation on the image data by comparing a window of the image data to data indicative of toner explosion conditions and modifying at least a center pixel of the window of the image data based on the comparison of the window of the image data to the data indicative of toner explosion conditions,

wherein analysis of all of the image data comprises designating each of the plurality of pixels into one of a first subset and a second subset;

wherein pixels in the second subset are in a first column or a last column of the memory; and

wherein the window is moved across the image data such that toner explosion compensation is performed on the first subset and toner explosion compensation is not performed when the center pixel of the window is designated into the second subset.

19. The print apparatus of claim 18, wherein pixels in the second subset are not designated into the first subset in future iterations of toner explosion compensation.

20. The print apparatus of claim 18, wherein the pixels designated the second subset are not subsequently designated as the first subset.

21. The print apparatus of claim 18, wherein the image data is processed in strips.

22. The printing apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a laser print engine in communication with the processor for printing the image data.