JP7804884B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus .

Image forming devices such as copiers generally include an image reading device that uses an optical sensor or similar device to read images on a document.

While most image reading devices of this type read two-dimensional images, Patent Document 1 (JP Patent Publication No. 11-41394) proposes an image reading device that reads three-dimensional images such as Braille. The image reading device described in Patent Document 1 reads uneven information on a document using a roller with multiple conductors on its surface. More specifically, a sheet with numerous linear conductors is placed on top of the document on which a three-dimensional image is formed, and the roller is moved while rotating along the sheet. At this time, the roller comes into contact with the conductors in the convex parts of the sheet, which deforms to follow the uneven shape of the document. As the terminals connected to the conductors become conductive, the position coordinates of the convex parts are detected and the three-dimensional image on the document is read.

The image reading device proposed in Patent Document 1 above is capable of reading unevenness information (position coordinates of convex portions) on a document. However, in this case, the unevenness information is read by a rotating roller that indirectly contacts the convex portions on the document via a sheet, which can lead to errors in reading the unevenness information, making it difficult to read three-dimensional image information with high accuracy.

In order to solve the above problem, the image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a visible light image reading unit that reads a visible light image on a document as two-dimensional image information, an invisible light image reading unit that reads an invisible light image on the document as three-dimensional image information, a two-dimensional image forming unit that forms a two-dimensional image on a recording medium based on the two-dimensional image information obtained from the visible light image reading unit, and a three-dimensional image forming unit that forms a three-dimensional image on the recording medium based on the three-dimensional image information obtained from the invisible light image reading unit .

This invention makes it possible to read three-dimensional image information on a document with high accuracy.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image reading device. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a three-dimensional image forming agent. 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining a three-dimensional image forming operation. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a control flow of the image reading apparatus. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing another configuration of the image reading device. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another control flow of the image reading apparatus. FIG. 10 is a diagram of an original on which marks are attached to designate the colors of the portions to be formed as a three-dimensional image. FIG. 10 is a diagram of a document with marks attached to read all images as stereoscopic image information. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing yet another control flow of the image reading apparatus. FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a solid image made up of multiple solid image-forming agents. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing three-dimensional image-forming agents with different particle sizes. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of three-dimensional images with different thicknesses. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing yet another control flow of the image reading apparatus. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a three-dimensional image forming agent in which the wavelength range of the ultraviolet reflective component is changed for each particle size. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image reading device that reads an image formed using special toner. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a control flow when special toner is used. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example in which the present invention is applied to an inkjet image forming apparatus. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a three-dimensional image forming unit is disposed upstream of a two-dimensional image forming unit in a paper transport direction. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a flat image forming unit is disposed upstream of a three-dimensional image forming unit in a paper transport direction. FIG. FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing another example of a three-dimensional image-forming agent. 22 is an enlarged view of a stereoscopic image formed using the stereoscopic image-forming agent shown in FIG. 21.

The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each of the drawings used to explain the present invention, components such as parts and components having the same function or shape will be assigned the same reference numerals as far as possible to distinguish them, and once they have been described, their description will be omitted.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Here, the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment will be described as a copier, but the image forming apparatus according to the present invention may also be a multifunction device with a facsimile function or the like, in addition to a copier. First, the overall configuration and basic operation of the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes an image reading unit 100 that reads an image from a document, a flat image forming unit 200 that forms a flat image on a sheet-like recording medium such as paper, a three-dimensional image forming unit 300 that forms a three-dimensional image on the recording medium, a fixing unit 400 that fixes the image on the recording medium, a recording medium supply unit 500 that supplies the recording medium to the flat image forming unit 200, and a recording medium discharge unit 600 that discharges the recording medium outside the apparatus.

The image reading unit 100 is equipped with an image reading device 7 that can distinguish between two-dimensional image information and three-dimensional image information on a document. The image reading device 7 includes a contact glass 25 on which the document G is placed, a pressure plate 26 that serves as a pressing member for pressing down the document G placed on the contact glass 25, and a carriage 27 that serves as a moving reading unit that reads the image on the document G while moving horizontally along the contact glass 25. The carriage 27 is equipped with a light source (light-emitting element) that irradiates light onto the document G placed on the contact glass 25, and a reflecting mirror that directs the light reflected from the document G in a predetermined direction. The image reading device 7 also includes a condenser lens that converges the light reflected from the document G, as well as a CCD sensor that converts the converged reflected light into an electrical signal and outputs it as image information.

The planar image forming unit 200 is equipped with four process units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10Bk as imaging units, an exposure device 6 that forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor 2 provided in each process unit 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10Bk, and a transfer device 8 that transfers the image to a recording medium.

Each process unit 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10Bk has basically the same configuration, except that it contains toner (developer) of a different color: yellow, magenta, cyan, or black, which corresponds to the color separation components of a color image. Specifically, each process unit 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10Bk includes a photoconductor 2 as an image carrier that carries an image on its surface, a charging member 3 that charges the surface of the photoconductor 2, a developing device 4 that supplies toner as developer to the surface of the photoconductor 2 to form a toner image, and a cleaning member 5 that cleans the surface of the photoconductor 2.

The transfer device 8 includes an intermediate transfer belt 11, a primary transfer roller 12, and a secondary transfer roller 13. The intermediate transfer belt 11 is an endless belt member stretched over multiple support rollers. Four primary transfer rollers 12 are provided inside the intermediate transfer belt 11. Each primary transfer roller 12 contacts each photoconductor 2 via the intermediate transfer belt 11, forming a primary transfer nip between the intermediate transfer belt 11 and each photoconductor 2. The secondary transfer roller 13 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11, forming a secondary transfer nip.

The 3D image forming unit 300 is equipped with an adhesive supply device 30 that supplies adhesive to the recording medium, and a 3D image forming agent supply device 31 that supplies 3D image forming agent. The 3D image forming agent is made up of particles larger in diameter than the toner that forms the 2D image, and is adhered to the recording medium via the adhesive supplied by the adhesive supply device 30.

The fixing section 400 is provided with a fixing device 20 for heating the recording medium to fix the two-dimensional and three-dimensional images on the recording medium to the recording medium. The fixing device 20 has a pair of rotating bodies 21 and 22 that come into contact with each other to form a fixing nip. Of the pair of rotating bodies 21 and 22, the rotating body 21, which is positioned on the image-bearing surface side of the recording medium, has an internal heating source 23 such as a heater.

The recording medium supply unit 500 is provided with a paper feed cassette 14 that stores paper P as a recording medium, and a paper feed roller 15 that feeds paper P from the paper feed cassette 14. Hereinafter, "recording medium" will be described as "paper," but "recording medium" is not limited to paper (paper). "Recording medium" includes not only paper (paper), but also overhead projector sheets or fabric, metal sheets, plastic films, or prepreg sheets made by pre-impregnating carbon fibers with resin. Furthermore, "paper" includes not only plain paper, but also cardboard, postcards, envelopes, thin paper, coated paper (coated paper, art paper, etc.), tracing paper, etc.

The recording medium ejection section 600 is provided with a pair of ejection rollers 17 that eject paper P outside the image forming device, and an ejection tray 18 on which paper P ejected by the ejection rollers 17 is placed.

Next, the basic operation of the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1.

First, with the document G placed on the contact glass 25 of the image reading device 7, the carriage 27 moves horizontally while irradiating light from the light source onto the document G. As a result, the light reflected from the document G is received by the CCD sensor, and the image information of the document G is read.

Next, each photoreceptor 2 begins to rotate, and each charging member 3 charges the surface of each photoreceptor 2 to a uniform high potential. Then, based on the planar image information from the image information of the document G read by the image reading device 7, the exposure device 6 exposes the surface (charged surface) of each photoreceptor 2 to light. This reduces the potential of the exposed area, forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of each photoreceptor 2. Then, each developing device 4 supplies toner to this electrostatic latent image, forming a toner image (planar image) for each color on each photoreceptor 2.

Then, as the toner images on each photoconductor 2 rotate and reach the primary transfer nip (the position of the primary transfer roller 12), they are transferred onto the rotating intermediate transfer belt 11 in a sequentially overlapping manner. In this way, a full-color toner image (flat image) is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 11. It is also possible to form a monochrome image using any one of the four color process units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10Bk, or to form a two- or three-color image using any two or three of them. After the toner images are transferred from each photoconductor 2 to the intermediate transfer belt 11, residual toner and other contaminants are removed from each photoconductor 2 by a cleaning member 5.

The toner image (flat image) transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 11 is transported to the secondary transfer nip (position of the secondary transfer roller 13) as the intermediate transfer belt 11 rotates, and is transferred onto paper P at the secondary transfer nip. This paper P is supplied from a paper feed cassette 14, and is fed out of the paper feed cassette 14 as the paper feed roller 15 rotates. The fed paper P is temporarily stopped by a pair of timing rollers 16, and then transported by the timing rollers 16 in time with the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 11 reaching the secondary transfer nip.

The paper P onto which the toner image (flat image) has been transferred is then transported to the 3D image forming unit 300. In the 3D image forming unit 300, the adhesive supplying device 30 dispenses adhesive onto the paper P based on the 3D image information from the image information read by the image reading device 7. Next, the 3D image forming agent supplying device 31 supplies 3D image forming agent to the adhesive-adhered portions of the paper P, forming a 3D image.

The paper P is then transported to the fixing device 20 and passes between a pair of rotating bodies 21, 22 (fixing nip). At this time, the paper P is heated and pressurized, causing the toner image (2D image) and 3D image on the paper P to be fixed to the paper P. The paper P is then transported to the recording medium ejection section 600 and ejected onto the paper ejection tray 18 by the paper ejection rollers 17. This completes the image formation process. Note that "image formation" includes not only the formation of meaningful images such as letters, figures, and symbols, but also the formation of meaningless images such as patterns.

As described above, the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment can form a two-dimensional image based on the two-dimensional image information read by the image reading device 7, and a three-dimensional image based on the three-dimensional image information. In other words, the image reading device 7 according to this embodiment can read the image information on the document by distinguishing between two-dimensional image information and three-dimensional image information.

The mechanism by which the image reading device 7 according to this embodiment can distinguish between two-dimensional image information and three-dimensional image information and read them will be explained below.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image reading device 7 according to this embodiment includes a visible light emitter 41 that emits visible light and an invisible light emitter 42 that emits invisible light as light sources that irradiate light onto the document G. The image reading device 7 also includes a visible light receiver 51 that receives visible light and an invisible light receiver 52 that receives invisible light as light receivers that receive light reflected from the document G.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, a two-dimensional image A that reflects visible light and a three-dimensional image B that reflects invisible light can be formed on the original G used in this embodiment. This two-dimensional image A is an image formed in the two-dimensional image forming unit 200, and is formed using toner that contains visible light-reflecting components such as yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. On the other hand, three-dimensional image B is an image formed in the three-dimensional image forming unit 300. The three-dimensional image forming agent used to form three-dimensional image B contains an invisible light-reflecting component that reflects invisible light such as ultraviolet or infrared light.

2, when light is irradiated onto original G from the light source (visible light emitter 41 and invisible light emitter 42) of image reading device 7, primarily visible light is reflected from the area of 2D image A, and primarily invisible light is reflected from the area of 3D image B. The visible light reflected from the area of 2D image A is received by visible light receiver 51 of image reading device 7 and read as 2D image information. Furthermore, the invisible light reflected from the area of 3D image B is received by invisible light receiver 52 of image reading device 7 and read as 3D image information. Thus, image reading device 7 according to this embodiment includes visible light receiver 51 as a visible light image reading unit that reads the visible light image (2D image A reflecting visible light) on original G as 2D image information, and invisible light receiver 52 as an invisible light image reading unit that reads the invisible light image (3D image B reflecting invisible light) on original G as 3D image information.

Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the image reading device 7 according to this embodiment includes an image information discrimination unit 60 that distinguishes between two-dimensional image information and three-dimensional image information from the light reception signals of the visible light receiving unit 51 and the invisible light receiving unit 52. The image information discrimination unit 60 is configured, for example, by a microcomputer having RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory). This image information discrimination unit 60 may be provided in the image reading device 7, or in an image forming device main body separate from the image reading device 7.

When the image information discrimination unit 60 distinguishes between two-dimensional image information and three-dimensional image information, the image information discrimination unit 60 instructs the two-dimensional image forming unit 200 to form a two-dimensional image based on the two-dimensional image information. The image information discrimination unit 60 also instructs the three-dimensional image forming unit 300 to form a three-dimensional image based on the three-dimensional image information. Having received the image formation instruction, the two-dimensional image forming unit 200 forms a toner image on the photoreceptor 2 based on the two-dimensional image information, as described above, and transfers the toner image to the paper P via the intermediate transfer belt 11. Having received the image formation instruction, the three-dimensional image forming unit 300 then ejects adhesive onto the paper P using the adhesive supply device 30 based on the three-dimensional image information, as described above, and then supplies the three-dimensional image forming agent to the adhesive-adhered locations on the paper P using the three-dimensional image forming agent supply device 31, thereby forming a three-dimensional image.

In this embodiment, solid particles as shown in FIG. 3 are used as the three-dimensional image forming agent. The three-dimensional image forming agent is not limited to solid particles, and may be liquid or semi-liquid. Specifically, the three-dimensional image forming agent 32 shown in FIG. 3 is composed of a core material 33 containing invisible light reflective components 40 and a coating material 34 that covers the surface of the core material 33. The core material 33 is composed of a material with a melting temperature higher than the temperature to which it is heated by the fixing device. Therefore, even when paper coated with the three-dimensional image forming agent 32 passes through the fixing device, the core material 33 does not melt and its shape is largely maintained. On the other hand, the coating material 34 is composed of a material with a melting temperature lower than the temperature to which it is heated by the fixing device, and therefore melts when heated by the fixing device.

As shown in Figure 4, when forming a three-dimensional image on paper P, adhesive 50 is first dispensed onto paper P from adhesive supply device 30. Adhesive supply device 30 has an adhesive container 55 that stores adhesive 50 and a discharge port 56 that dispenses adhesive 50 from adhesive container 55, and the adhesive is dispensed from discharge port 56 onto the area on paper P where the three-dimensional image is to be formed. Note that the "area where the three-dimensional image is to be formed" here refers to the area on paper P where the three-dimensional image is to be formed, which is determined based on the three-dimensional image information on document G read by image reading device 7.

Next, the paper P is transported to the 3D image forming agent supply device 31, which supplies the 3D image forming agent 32 to the adhesive-adhered areas on the paper P. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the 3D image forming agent supply device 31 includes a 3D image forming agent container 45 that contains the 3D image forming agent 32, a carrier 46 capable of supporting the 3D image forming agent 32 on its surface, and a regulating member 47 that regulates the amount of 3D image forming agent 32 on the carrier 46. When the carrier 46 rotates, the 3D image forming agent 32 supported on the carrier 46 passes through the regulating member 47, thereby regulating the amount of 3D image forming agent 32 to a predetermined amount, and the 3D image forming agent 32 is supplied to the adhesive-adhered areas on the paper P.

The paper P is then transported to the fixing device, where it is heated and pressurized. At this time, the 3D image forming agent 32 on the paper P is heated, causing the coating material 34 to melt. After the paper P passes through the fixing device, the coating material 34 solidifies, fixing the 3D image forming agent 32 (core material 33) to the paper P. In addition, to further improve the fixability of the 3D image forming agent 32, a device for supplying a coating agent such as a protective agent or binder may be placed between the 3D image forming agent supply device 31 and the fixing device 20.

As such, the three-dimensional image on paper output by the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment is formed using a three-dimensional image forming agent 32 that contains invisible light reflecting components. Therefore, if the document is used as the document to be read, the three-dimensional image on the document can be read by the image reading device 7. The three-dimensional image can then be reproduced on paper based on the read three-dimensional image information.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, in the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment, when an image on a document is read by the image reading device 7 and an invisible light image is found on the document (when reflection of invisible light with the same wavelength as the invisible light reflection component contained in the three-dimensional image forming agent 32 is detected), a three-dimensional image is formed on the paper based on the invisible light image information. Also, when a visible light image is found on the document in addition to an invisible light image (when reflection of visible light with the same wavelength as the visible light reflection component of the toner is detected), a two-dimensional image based on the visible light image information is formed on the paper in addition to a three-dimensional image based on the invisible light image information. On the other hand, if there is no invisible light image on the document, only a two-dimensional image is formed on the paper based on the information of the read visible light image.

As described above, in the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment, the image reading device 7 is equipped with a visible light image reading unit that reads the visible light image on the document as two-dimensional image information, and an invisible light image reading unit that reads the invisible light image on the document as three-dimensional image information, thereby enabling the two-dimensional image information on the document to be reliably distinguished from the three-dimensional image information. Furthermore, because the three-dimensional image information on the document is optically read by the image reading device 7, the three-dimensional image information can be read with greater accuracy than in a configuration that uses rollers to read three-dimensional image information, as described in Patent Document 1. This improves the reproducibility of the three-dimensional image reproduced based on the read image information.

In the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment, as long as the initial manuscript is created using a 3D image forming agent containing an invisible light reflecting component, it is possible to reproduce a 3D image on paper by reading the invisible light image on the created manuscript. Note that the initial manuscript must be created by the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment based on print image information sent from a computer or terminal device.

However, in commonly produced 3D image manuscripts such as Braille, the 3D image portion does not contain any invisible light reflection components, so the 3D image information cannot be read as is by the reading device 7 according to this embodiment. Therefore, to improve convenience, it is preferable to be able to copy the 3D image information on such manuscripts as well.

The next example we will explain is one in which a 3D image can be formed even when using a general document that does not contain invisible light reflection components.

As shown in Figure 6, the image forming device in this example is equipped with the image information discrimination unit 60, which distinguishes image information into two-dimensional image information and three-dimensional image information, as well as a color designation unit 61, which designates the color of the portion of the visible light image on the document that will be formed as a three-dimensional image. The color designation unit 61 is an input unit provided, for example, on the control panel of the image forming device, and is operated when the user designates the color of the portion of the visible light image on the document that the user wants to form as a three-dimensional image.

As shown in Figure 7, in this example, when an image on a document is read, it is determined whether or not the 3D image formation mode has been selected in the image forming device. The 3D image formation mode can be selected by the user, for example, via a control panel provided on the image forming device.

If the 3D image formation mode is selected, the image information discrimination unit 60 then determines whether or not an invisible light image is present on the document. If an invisible light image is present on the document, a 3D image is formed on the paper based on the invisible light image information. If a visible light image is present on the document in addition to the invisible light image, a 2D image based on the visible light image information is formed on the paper in addition to the 3D image based on the invisible light image information.

On the other hand, if there is no invisible light image on the document, it is further determined whether a color has been specified in the color specification unit 61. If a color has been specified, only the portion of the visible light image on the document that is the specified color is formed on the paper as a three-dimensional image. Note that portions of colors other than the specified color are formed on the paper as a two-dimensional image. Furthermore, if, as a result of reading the image on the document, there is no invisible light image on the document and no color has been specified, all of the read visible light image is formed on the paper as a two-dimensional image.

In this way, in the example shown in Figure 7, by specifying the color of the portion you want to form into a 3D image, it is possible to form a 3D image from even a regular document that does not contain invisible light reflection components. For example, if the document contains Braille that does not contain invisible light reflection components, you can color the Braille portion black and select black in the color specification to form the black Braille portion into a 3D image (Braille) on the paper. Similarly, even if the document contains only a 2D image, by selecting the 3D image formation mode and specifying the color, you can form the portion of the specified color into a 3D image.

Also, if there is no need to form a 3D image, you can simply select the normal 2D image formation mode rather than the 3D image formation mode. In this case, all scanned images will be formed on paper as 2D images, regardless of whether the scanned image is only a visible light image, only an invisible light image, or both a visible light image and an invisible light image.

In the example shown in Figure 7, the presence or absence of an invisible light image on the document is determined with priority over the presence or absence of a color specification, but conversely, the presence or absence of a color specification may be determined with priority over the presence or absence of an invisible light image on the document. Furthermore, the presence or absence of an invisible light image on the document and the presence or absence of a color specification may be determined in parallel, and control may be performed to form both the invisible light image portion and the color-specified portion as a three-dimensional image.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, the user specifies the color using a color specification unit 61 such as a control panel. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8, a mark 70 indicating the color specification may be attached to the original G in advance. That is, a mark 70 consisting of a symbol or letter is attached to a part (such as a corner) of the original G on which a visible light image has been formed. When the image on the original G is read by the image reading device 7, the mark 70 is also read, thereby enabling the color of the part to be formed as a 3D image to be automatically determined. The mark 70 may be formed using a visible light image or an invisible light image. Furthermore, if multiple different marks 70 are prepared for each specified color, the range of color specification is expanded, improving convenience.

Next, the example shown in Figure 9 is an example in which a mark 71 is added to the original G to read all images as 3D image information.

In this case, as shown in Figure 10, if the image on the document is read by the image reading device and the mark 71 shown in Figure 9 is found on the document, all of the images on the document G except for the mark 71 are formed on the paper as a three-dimensional image, regardless of whether they are visible light images or invisible light images. Note that the mark 71 may be a visible light image or an invisible light image.

This type of example can be used, for example, when you want to overlay a 3D image such as Braille on paper such as an already printed poster. A pre-printed poster is placed in the paper feed cassette of an image forming device, and when an original G (see Figure 9) bearing black dots indicating the Braille areas and the above-mentioned mark 71 is read by an image reading device, the read black dot areas are recognized as a 3D image, and Braille corresponding to the black dot areas is formed on the fed poster. In this way, if there is a mark 71 that reads the entire image on original G as 3D image information, there is no need to specify the color of the areas you want to make into a 3D image, making it easier to form a 3D image.

Note that in Figure 10, the control when there is no mark 71 to be read as a 3D image is basically the same as the control for the presence or absence of an invisible light image on the document and the control for the presence or absence of color specification shown in Figure 7, so a description thereof will be omitted.

The image forming apparatus of the present invention can be used to form Braille characters, as well as to form three-dimensional images other than Braille characters, such as oil paintings with uneven surfaces. When using the image forming apparatus of the present invention for Braille characters, the thickness t of the three-dimensional image B (Braille) composed of multiple three-dimensional image-forming agents 32 must be 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm, as shown in FIG. 11(a). Therefore, the particle diameter d (see FIG. 3) of the core material 33 of the three-dimensional image-forming agent 32 is preferably 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm. Furthermore, when three-dimensional image-forming agents 32 are stacked to form a three-dimensional image with a more complex uneven surface, such as an oil painting, as shown in FIG. 11(b), the particle diameter d of the core material 33 of the three-dimensional image-forming agent 32 is preferably 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. The "thickness" of the three-dimensional image here, and in the following descriptions, refers to the height of the three-dimensional image B protruding from the image-forming surface of the document G or paper P.

In the above embodiment, a three-dimensional image is formed using one type of three-dimensional image forming agent 32 (see Figure 3), but the three-dimensional image forming agent may contain two or more types of particles with different particle sizes.

For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the three-dimensional image forming agent 32 may contain two types of particles: small-diameter particles 32a and large-diameter particles 32b that are larger than the small-diameter particles 32a.

In this way, by using three-dimensional image-forming agents with different particle sizes, it is possible to form three-dimensional images of different thicknesses. For example, it is possible to form a three-dimensional image consisting only of small-diameter particles 32a as shown in Figure 13(a), a three-dimensional image consisting only of large-diameter particles 32b as shown in (b), and a three-dimensional image consisting of both small-diameter particles 32a and large-diameter particles 32b as shown in (c). Therefore, by using three-dimensional image-forming agents with different particle sizes, it is possible to form three-dimensional images with complex textures, such as oil paintings.

The particle size ratio of the small-diameter particles 32a to the large-diameter particles 32b is preferably about 2:1. In particular, when forming a three-dimensional image by stacking particles in three or more layers, the particle size ratio may be 3:1 or 4:1. Furthermore, by using three or more types of particles with different particle sizes, it is possible to form images with more complex textures.

Here, the small-diameter particles 32a and the large-diameter particles 32b contain invisible light reflective components in different wavelength ranges. Specifically, the small-diameter particles 32a contain ultraviolet reflective components in the wavelength range of 380 nm or less, while the large-diameter particles 32b contain infrared reflective components in the wavelength range of 780 nm or more.

Therefore, if the image reading device can distinguish between and read invisible light reflection components in different wavelength ranges, it will be able to identify the 3D image formed using these particles 32a and 32b. In other words, the image reading device simply needs to be equipped with an ultraviolet light receiving unit (first invisible light receiving unit) that receives reflected light in the ultraviolet wavelength range (380 nm or less) and an infrared light receiving unit (second invisible light receiving unit) that receives reflected light in the infrared wavelength range (780 nm or more).

This allows the image reading device to distinguish between and read three-dimensional images of different thicknesses, as shown in (a), (b), and (c) in Figure 13. In this case, as shown in Figure 14, when the image reading device reads an original, the portion where both ultraviolet and infrared light are received is identified as a three-dimensional image made up of both small-diameter particles 32a and large-diameter particles 32b, the portion where only ultraviolet light is received is identified as a three-dimensional image made up of only small-diameter particles 32a, and the portion where only infrared light is received is identified as a three-dimensional image made up of only large-diameter particles 32b. Note that if neither ultraviolet nor infrared light is received, it is determined that there is no three-dimensional image.

In this way, by configuring the image reading device to be able to read invisible light reflection components in different wavelength ranges, it becomes possible to distinguish between three-dimensional images of different thicknesses, making it possible to reproduce three-dimensional images with complex textures.

In the above example, particles containing ultraviolet reflective components are designated as small diameter particles 32a, and particles containing infrared reflective components are designated as large diameter particles 32b. However, as in the example shown in Figure 15, particles containing ultraviolet reflective components may be divided into two wavelength ranges with different particle sizes. For example, particles containing ultraviolet reflective components in the wavelength range of 360 nm to 400 nm are designated as small diameter particles 32c, and particles containing ultraviolet reflective components in the wavelength range of 280 nm to 320 nm are designated as large diameter particles 32d.

In addition, by enabling the image reading device to distinguish between ultraviolet reflection components in the wavelength range of 360 nm to 400 nm and ultraviolet reflection components in the wavelength range of 280 nm to 320 nm, it becomes possible to identify three-dimensional images made up of either or both of particles 32c and 32d.

The wavelength ranges of the ultraviolet-reflecting component divided by particle size may be three or more. Furthermore, particles containing infrared-reflecting components may also be divided into two or more wavelength ranges with different particle sizes. By varying the wavelength ranges of the ultraviolet-reflecting component and the infrared-reflecting component for each particle size, the thickness of the three-dimensional image obtained by combining different particle sizes becomes more diverse, allowing the texture of the three-dimensional image to be reproduced in greater detail.

The 3D image forming agent used in the present invention is not limited to particles composed of a core material 33 and a coating material 34 as described above, but may also be particles containing a foaming agent, as described in Japanese Patent No. 4356714. The foaming agent may be, for example, a foaming agent whose main ingredient is a substance that generates gas upon thermal decomposition. When an image is formed on paper using particles containing a foaming agent, and the paper is transported to a fixing device and heated, the foaming agent foams, forming a 3D image on the paper. If such particles containing a foaming agent also contain an invisible light reflecting component, the 3D image can be optically read by an image reading device, just like the 3D image forming agent of the above embodiment. This improves reading accuracy and also improves the reproducibility of the 3D image based on the read image information.

In the above embodiment, a two-dimensional image is formed using a toner containing a visible light reflecting component, and a three-dimensional image is formed using a three-dimensional image forming agent containing an invisible light reflecting component. However, some types of black toner contain an invisible light reflecting component in addition to a visible light reflecting component. When such special toner is used, an image that would normally be recognized as a two-dimensional image is instead recognized as a three-dimensional image.

Therefore, it is preferable to allow the user to select whether a two-dimensional image formed with a special toner that also contains an invisible light reflecting component is to be recognized as a two-dimensional image or a three-dimensional image. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, when a two-dimensional image C formed with a special toner that contains both a visible light reflecting component and an invisible light reflecting component is read by the image reading device 7, i.e., when the visible light receiving unit 51 receives visible light corresponding to the color of the special toner and the invisible light receiving unit 52 receives invisible light, the image information discrimination unit 60 determines that the image C is a two-dimensional image formed with the special toner. Based on information from the image information discrimination unit 60, an operator, such as a user, selects whether to form the image as a two-dimensional image or a three-dimensional image using a selection unit 62 provided in the image forming device. As a result, if a three-dimensional image is selected, the image is formed as a three-dimensional image, and if a two-dimensional image is selected, the image is formed as a two-dimensional image. If only visible light from a toner other than the special toner is received, the image will be a two-dimensional image formed using normal toner, and will be formed as a two-dimensional image. If only invisible light is received, the image will be a three-dimensional image formed using a three-dimensional image forming agent, and will be formed as a three-dimensional image. This series of steps is shown in Figure 17.

In this way, if the scanned image contains a two-dimensional image formed with special toner that also contains invisible light reflecting components, being able to select whether to form the scanned image as a two-dimensional image or a three-dimensional image widens the range of usable toners and improves convenience. Note that for image scanning devices that do not have this function, it is preferable to use toner that does not contain invisible light reflecting components.

Furthermore, the image forming device in which the image reading device according to the present invention is installed is not limited to an electrophotographic image forming device that forms a two-dimensional image using toner as described above, but may also be an inkjet image forming device that forms a two-dimensional image using ink.

Figure 18 shows an example in which an image reading device according to the present invention is installed in an inkjet image forming device.

The inkjet image forming device 80 shown in Figure 18 includes an image reading device 81 that reads an image on an original G, an ink ejection head 82 that forms a two-dimensional image on paper using liquid ink, an adhesive supply device 83 that supplies adhesive to the paper, a three-dimensional image forming agent supply device 84 that supplies a three-dimensional image forming agent, a paper feed roller 86 that supplies paper P stored in a paper feed cassette 85, and a paper ejection roller 87 that ejects paper outside the device. The ink ejection head 82 may be a so-called serial type that ejects ink while moving in the main scanning direction (paper width direction), or a so-called line type that ejects ink without moving multiple ink ejection heads lined up in the main scanning direction. The image reading device 81, adhesive supply device 83, 3D image forming agent supply device 84, paper feed cassette 85, paper feed roller 86, and paper discharge roller 87 provided in the inkjet image forming device 80 are basically the same in configuration and function as the image reading device 7, adhesive supply device 30, 3D image forming agent supply device 31, paper feed cassette 14, paper feed roller 15, and paper discharge roller 17 provided in the image forming device 1 shown in Figure 1, so detailed explanation will be omitted.

In the inkjet image forming device 80 shown in Figure 18, when image information from an original G is read by an image reading device 81, an adhesive supplying device 83 ejects adhesive onto paper P fed from a paper feed cassette 85 based on the 3D image information from the read image information. Next, a 3D image forming agent supplying device 84 supplies 3D image forming agent to the adhesive-adhered portions of the paper P, forming a 3D image.

The paper P is then transported below the ink ejection head 82, which ejects ink onto the paper P based on the two-dimensional image information from the image information read by the image reading device 81, to form a two-dimensional image. The paper P is then ejected from the device by the paper ejection rollers 87.

In this way, by applying the present invention to an inkjet image forming device 80 that forms two-dimensional images using ink, it is possible to expect improved accuracy in reading three-dimensional images and improved reproducibility of three-dimensional images based on the read image information.

Furthermore, in the case of an inkjet image forming device, as shown in Figure 19, ink can be ejected onto a three-dimensional image B formed on paper P to form a two-dimensional image A, so the three-dimensional image forming agent supply device 84 (three-dimensional image forming unit) can be positioned upstream of the ink ejection head 82 (two-dimensional image forming unit) in the paper transport direction. In this case, since the ink adheres onto the three-dimensional image B, good ink visibility can be ensured.

In contrast, with electrophotographic image forming devices, it is difficult to transfer a toner image (flat image) over a three-dimensional image, so as shown in Figure 20, it is preferable to first transfer the toner image to paper P to form flat image A, and then form three-dimensional image B. In this case, it is also preferable that the three-dimensional image forming agent be made of a transparent material to ensure visibility of the toner present underneath three-dimensional image B.

The 3D image forming agent used in the present invention may also be composed of a core material 33 containing an invisible light reflecting component 40 and a color component (visible light reflecting component) 39, as shown in FIG. 21, and a coating material 35 having adhesive affinity that covers the surface of the core material 33. In this case, when the 3D image forming agent is applied to the adhesive application location on the paper, the coating material 35 of the 3D image forming agent 32 bonds with the adhesive due to its adhesive affinity, and as shown in FIG. 22, the core material 33 is embedded in the adhesive 50 on the paper P and adhered thereto. Subsequently, the adhesive 50 solidifies, thereby adhering the 3D image forming agent 32 (core material 33) to the paper P. In this case, because the core material 33 contains the color component 39, a visible 3D image can be formed without the need for a separate ink application. The adhesive 50 may solidify naturally upon contact with air, or may contain a component that solidifies in response to ultraviolet light. If the adhesive 50 contains an ultraviolet curing component, the adhesive 50 can be accelerated to harden by applying ultraviolet light from an ultraviolet irradiation device to the adhesive 50 after the three-dimensional image forming agent 32 is supplied to the adhesive application area.

The present invention has been described above, but it is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1 Image forming device 7 Image reading device 32 Three-dimensional image forming agent 51 Visible light receiving unit (visible light image reading unit)
52 invisible light receiving unit (invisible light image reading unit)
100 Image reading unit 200 Planar image forming unit 300 Three-dimensional image forming unit G Original P Paper (recording medium)

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-41394

Claims (5)

a visible light image reading unit that reads a visible light image on a document as planar image information;
an invisible light image reading unit that reads the invisible light image on the document as three-dimensional image information ;
a flat image forming unit that forms a flat image on a recording medium based on flat image information obtained from the visible light image reading unit;
an image forming apparatus comprising: a stereoscopic image forming unit that forms a stereoscopic image on the recording medium based on stereoscopic image information obtained from the invisible light image reading unit ; The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the invisible light image reading unit reads the invisible light image on the document as Braille image information. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the invisible light image reading unit reads invisible light images in different wavelength regions as three-dimensional image information having different thicknesses. a visible light image reading unit that reads a visible light image on a document as planar image information;
an invisible light image reading unit that reads the invisible light image on the document as three-dimensional image information;
a flat image forming unit that forms a flat image on a recording medium based on flat image information obtained from the visible light image reading unit ;
a stereoscopic image forming unit that forms a stereoscopic image on the recording medium based on the stereoscopic image information obtained from the invisible light image reading unit ;
The image forming device is characterized in that the three-dimensional image forming unit includes a plurality of particles of different particle sizes, and forms three-dimensional images of different thicknesses using a three-dimensional image forming agent containing invisible light reflecting components of different wavelength ranges for each of the particles of different particle sizes . 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the invisible light reflection components having different wavelength regions for the particles having different particle sizes are an ultraviolet reflection component and an infrared reflection component .