Image recording apparatus capable of changing dot density and dot size

Claim 2

An image recording apparatus comprising: electrophotography process means for forming an image made of a plurality of dots in accordance with an electrophotography process; dot density control means, coupled to said electrophotography process means, for controlling a dot density on the image formed by said electrophotography process means, said dot density being defined as a number of dots formed on a predetermined area in the image; and dot size control means, coupled to said electrophotography process means, for controlling a size of each dot on the image, wherein the size of each dot on the image is controlled by said dot size control means in accordance with the dot density controlled by the dot density control means.

Claim 3

An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said electrophotography process means comprises; a photo sensitive member, latent image forming means for forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to image data on said photo sensitive member, said latent image forming means having charger means for uniformly charging a surface of said photo sensitive member, and scanning means for emitting a light beam modulated in accordance with the image data, said light beam scanning the uniformly charged surface of said photo sensitive member and successively writing dots on the surface of said photo sensitive member so that the electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of said photo sensitive member, developer means for supplying toner having a predetermined developer bias potential to said electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of said photo sensitive member so that the electrostatic latent image is developed and a toner image corresponding to said electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of said photo sensitive member, and transfer means for transferring the toner image formed on the surface of said photo sensitive member to a recording medium.

Claim 4

An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said dot density control means has first control means for controlling a frequency with which the light beam writes the dots on the surface of said photo sensitive member, and second control means for controlling a number times the light beam scans in a predetermined time.

Claim 5

An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said first control means has signal control means for controlling a frequency of a synchronous signal with which the light beam writes the dots in synchronism.

Claim 6

An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said signal control means has a signal generator for generating a clock signal having a frequency corresponding to the dot density specified by a user, and a phase synchronous circuit for adjusting a phase of the clock signal generated by said signal generator to a predetermined phase, the clock signal being used for the synchronous signal for the light beam.

Claim 7

An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said scanning means has a rotating polygonal mirror which deflects the light beam in a predetermined angle range, and wherein said second control means has rotation control means for controlling a rotation frequency of said polygonal mirror.

Claim 8

An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said rotation control means has a reference signal generator for generating a reference clock signal whose frequency corresponds to the dot density specified by the user, and a PLL circuit for driving a motor rotating said polygonal mirror on the basis of said reference clock signal generated by said reference signal generator.

Claim 9

An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said dot size control means has bias control means for controlling the developing bias potential in accordance with the dot density.

Claim 10

An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said bias control means has a controller for outputting a bias signal corresponding to the dot density specified by the user, and a switcher unit for selectively outputting the developing bias potential.

Claim 11

An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said bias control means has a switch for manually selecting a developing bias potential value from a plurality of developing bias potential values.

Claim 12

An image recording apparatus comprising: a photosensitive member; charger means for uniformly charging a surface of said photosensitive member; a semiconductor laser unit for emitting a laser beam so that the laser beam is projected onto the surface of the photo sensitive member which has been uniformly charged by said charger member, said semiconductor laser unit being modulated in accordance with image data; scanning means for making the laser beam emitted from said semiconductor laser unit scan the surface of said photo sensitive member so that an electrostatic latent image made of a plurality of dots is formed on the surface of said photo sensitive member; developer means for supplying toner having a predetermined developing bias potential to said electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of said photo sensitive member so that the electrostatic latent image is developed and a toner image corresponding to said electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of said photo sensitive member; dot density control means for controlling a dot density on the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of said photo sensitive member, said dot density being defined as a number of dots formed on a predetermined area in the electrostatic latent image; and dot size control means, coupled to said electrophotography process means, for controlling a size of each dot on the toner image, wherein the size of each dot on the toner image is controlled by said dot size control means in accordance with the dot density controlled by the dot density control means.

Claim 13

An image recording apparatus comprising: a photosensitive member; charger means for uniformly charging a surface of said photosensitive member; a semiconductor laser unit for emitting a laser beam so that the laser beam is projected onto the surface of the photo sensitive member which has been uniformly charged by said charger member, said semiconductor laser unit being modulated in accordance with image data; scanning means for making the laser beam emitted from said semiconductor laser unit scan the surface of said photo sensitive member so that an electrostatic latent image made of a plurality of dots is formed on the surface of said photo sensitive member; developer means for supplying toner having a predetermined developing bias potential to said electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of said photo sensitive member so that the electrostatic latent image is developed and a toner image corresponding to said electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of said photo sensitive member; dot density control means for controlling a dot density on the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of said photo sensitive member, said dot density being defined as a number of dots formed on a predetermined area in the electrostatic latent image; and dot size control means, coupled to said electrophotography process means, for controlling a size of each dot on the toner image, wherein the size of each dot on the toner image is controlled by said dot size control means in accordance with the dot density controlled by the dot density control means.

Claim 14

An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said dot size control means has bias control means for controlling the developing bias potential in accordance with the dot density.

Claim 15

An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said bias control means has a controller for outputting a bias signal corresponding to the dot density specified by the user, and a switcher unit for selectively outputting the developing bias potential.

Claim 16

An image recording apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said bias control means has a switch for manually selecting a developing bias potential value from a plurality of developing bias potential values.