Image forming apparatus and image forming method

摘要

An image forming apparatus forms an image by irradiating light from a light source to an image carrier. The image forming apparatus includes: an image processing unit that processes image data at resolution N; and a control unit that generates modulation data to drive the light source at resolution m×N (m is a positive integer equal to or larger than 2), which is higher than the resolution N, based on the processed image data. Processing at the image processing unit is pseudo-halftone processing to perform line thinning or thickening on a part of the image data. The control unit converts the image data at the resolution N that has been subjected to the pseudo-halftone processing into data at the resolution m×N, and adjusts an amount of light for a part of the image data based on the resolution m×N.

主权项

1. An image forming apparatus that forms an image by irradiating light from a light source to an image carrier, comprising:
circuitry configured to: perform pseudo-halftone processing on image data at resolution N, generate modulation data to drive the light source at resolution m×N (m is a positive integer equal to or larger than 2), which is higher than the resolution N, based on the processed image data, wherein the circuitry is configured to convert the image data at the resolution N that has been subjected to the pseudo-halftone processing into data at the resolution m×N, and adjust an amount of light from the light source for a part of the image data at the resolution m×N, and generate modulation data based on which the light source is driven at a different light emission power from when the light amount adjustment is not performed for a part of the image data, wherein the circuitry is configured to detect an edge portion of the image data at any one of the resolution N and the resolution m×N, subjected to the pseudo-halftone processing, and adjust, based on the resolution m×N, an amount of light from the light source for the edge portion and a portion adjacent to the edge portion of the image data at the resolution m×N, wherein the amount of light for the portion adjacent to the edge portion is more than the amount of light for the edge portion, and wherein the circuitry is configured to detect the edge portion based on character attributes.