1. An image processor comprising:
a reference point detection unit that extracts a first plurality of bright spots in a first fluorescent image of a predetermined surface of a sample which is obtained using a first microscope, extracts a second plurality of bright spots in a second fluorescent image of the predetermined surface of the sample, which is obtained using a second microscope, and extracts at least three corresponded bright spots as first and second groups of reference points from each of the first and second pluralities of bright spots, respectively, based on angles formed among the first plurality of bright spots in the first fluorescent image and angles formed among the second plurality of bright spots in the second fluorescent image; and
a calculation unit that calculates transformation coefficients for matching the at least three corresponded bright spots of the first group of reference points in the first fluorescent image and the at least three corresponded bright spots of the second group of reference points in the second fluorescent image.
2. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein
the reference point detection unit extracts the first and second pluralities of bright spots using a first binary image generated by binarizing the first fluorescent image using a first predetermined threshold and a second binary image generated by binarizing the second fluorescent image using a second predetermined threshold.
3. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein
the calculation unit calculates the transformation coefficients which are used for mutually transforming a first coordinate system and a second coordinate system by Helmert transformation.
4. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein
the first microscope is a total internal reflection fluorescent microscope and the second microscope is a confocal microscope, and
the predetermined surface is a surface for totally reflecting illumination light in the total internal reflection fluorescence microscope at an interface of the sample and a cover glass.
5. The image processor according to claim 4, further comprising a superposing unit that superposes, using the transformation coefficients, the first fluorescent image and an image, obtained using the confocal microscope, of a surface of the sample, which is at a different position in a thickness direction from the predetermined surface.
6. The image processor according to claim 1, further comprising a superposing unit that superposes the first fluorescent image and the second fluorescent image using the transformation coefficients.
7. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein
the calculation unit calculates the transformation coefficients which are used for transforming a first coordinate system and a second coordinate system into a third coordinate system which is different from the first and second coordinate systems.
8. The image processor according to claim 1, further comprising a superposing unit that superposes, using the transformation coefficients, the first fluorescent image obtained using the first microscope and the second fluorescent image obtained using the second microscope.
9. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein the sample is dyed by a reagent.
10. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein the sample is an object to be observed.
11. The image processor according to claim 1, wherein the reference point detection unit extracts the at least three corresponded bright spots in the first and second fluorescent images based on ratios of imaginary lines among the at least three corresponded bright spots in the first and second fluorescent images.
12. The image processor according to claim 11, wherein the reference point detection unit extracts the at least three corresponded bright spots in the first and second fluorescent images based on polygons formed by the imaginary lines among the at least three corresponded bright spots in the first and second fluorescent images.
13. An image processing method comprising:
judging whether a first plurality of bright spots in a first fluorescent image of a predetermined surface of a sample, which is obtained using a first microscope, and a second plurality of bright spots in a second fluorescent image of the predetermined surface of the sample, which is obtained using a second microscope, correspond to bright spots at identical positions on the predetermined surface of the sample by
extracting at least three corresponded bright spots as first and second groups of reference points from each of the first and second pluralities of bright spots, respectively, based on angles formed among the first plurality of bright spots in the first fluorescent image and angles formed among the second plurality of bright spots in the second fluorescent image; and
calculating transformation coefficients for matching a first coordinate system of the at least three corresponded bright spots of the first group of reference points in the first fluorescent image and a second coordinate system of the at least three corresponded bright spots of the second group of reference points in the second fluorescent image.
14. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing thereon a program that when executed by a computer causes a computer to execute processing comprising:
judging whether a first plurality of bright spots in a first fluorescent image of a predetermined surface of a sample, which is obtained using a first microscope, and a second plurality of bright spots in a second fluorescent image of the predetermined surface of the sample, which is obtained using a second microscope, correspond to bright spots at identical positions on the predetermined surface of the sample by
extracting at least three corresponded bright spots as first and second groups of reference points from each of the first and second pluralities of bright spots, respectively, based on angles formed among the first plurality of bright spots in the first fluorescent image and angles formed among the second plurality of bright spots in the second fluorescent image; and
calculating transformation coefficients for matching a first coordinate system of the at least three corresponded bright spots of the first group of reference points in the first fluorescent image and a second coordinate system of the at least three corresponded bright spots of the second group of reference points in the second fluorescent image.
15. A microscope which can be used as a first microscope and as a second microscope, comprising:
a reference point detection unit that extracts a first plurality of bright spots in a first fluorescent image of a predetermined surface of a sample, which is obtained using the microscope as the first microscope, and a second plurality of bright spots in a second fluorescent image of the predetermined surface of the sample, which is obtained using the microscope as the second microscope, and extracts at least three corresponded bright spots as first and second groups of reference points from each of the first and second pluralities of bright spots, respectively, based on angles formed among the first plurality of bright spots in the first fluorescent image and the second plurality of bright spots in the second fluorescent image; and
a calculation unit that calculates transformation coefficients for matching at least three corresponded bright spots of the first group of reference points in the first fluorescent image and the at least three corresponded bright spots of the second group of reference points in the second fluorescent image.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a belt;
a cling unit;
an application unit; and
a controller configured to:
when a leading end portion of the belt where a leading end of a sheet in a conveying direction is disposed is present at a facing position where the belt and the cling unit face each other, control the application unit to apply a clinging bias to the cling unit for supplying electric charge to the leading end portion; and
when an intermediate portion of the belt, which is disposed between the leading end portion of the belt and a trailing end portion of the belt where a trailing end of the sheet is disposed, is present at the facing position, reduce the clinging bias to be less than the clinging bias when the leading end portion is present at the facing position.
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a first image carrier,
wherein the cling unit comprises a first transfer member that faces the first image carrier via the belt,
wherein the controller is configured to control the application unit to apply a transfer bias to the first transfer member for transferring a toner image formed on the first image carrier to the belt, and
wherein the clinging bias is less than the transfer bias.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a first image carrier and a second image carrier which are arranged along the conveying direction,
wherein the cling unit comprises:
a first transfer member that faces the first image carrier via the belt; and
a second transfer member that faces the second image carrier via the belt,
wherein the controller is configured to control the application unit to apply a transfer bias to the first transfer member for transferring a toner image formed on the first image carrier to the belt, and
wherein with respect to the second transfer member, the controller is configured to:
when the leading end portion of the belt where the leading end of the sheet in the conveying direction is disposed is present at the facing position where the belt and the cling unit face each other, control the application unit to apply the clinging bias to the cling unit for supplying the electric charge to the leading end portion; and
when the intermediate portion of the belt which is disposed between the leading end portion of the belt and the trailing end portion of the belt where the trailing end of the sheet is disposed, is present at the facing position, reduce the clinging bias to be less than the clinging bias when the leading end portion is present at the facing position.
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3,
wherein the second transfer member is disposed on an upstream side in the conveying direction with reference to the first transfer member.
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when a conveying portion of the belt where an entirety of the sheet is disposed is present at a facing position where a third transfer member and the belt face each other, the third transfer member being disposed on a downstream side in the conveying direction with reference to the first transfer member, the controller is configured to control the application unit to apply a bias, which is equal to or less than the transfer bias, to the third transfer member.
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:
a first charger corresponding to the first transfer member; and
a second charger corresponding to the second transfer member,
wherein the controller is configured to control the application unit to apply a charging bias to the second charger for charging the second image carrier.
7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6,
wherein the controller is configured to control the application unit to apply a charging bias to the first charger for charging the first image carrier, and
wherein the charging bias applied to the second charger is less than the charging bias applied to the first charger.
8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6,
wherein the controller is configured to control the application unit such that a charged range of the second image carrier overlaps with a portion of the belt supplied with electric charge by the second transfer member at the facing position.
9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:
a plurality of chargers corresponding to a plurality of the transfer members,
wherein the controller is configured to control the application unit not to apply a charging bias to the second charger.
10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:
a third image carrier that is arranged in parallel with the first image carrier and the second image carrier along the conveying direction, the third image carrier being disposed on a downstream side in the conveying direction with reference to the second image carrier,
wherein the cling unit comprises a third transfer member that faces the third image carrier via the belt,
wherein with respect to the third transfer member, the controller is configured to:
when the leading end portion of the belt where the leading end of the sheet in the conveying direction is disposed is present at a facing position where the belt and the third transfer member face each other, control the application unit to apply a clinging bias to the third transfer member for supplying electric charge to the leading end portion;
when the intermediate portion of the belt disposed between the leading end portion thereof and the trailing end portion thereof where the trailing end of the sheet is disposed is present at the facing position, reduce the clinging bias to be less than the clinging bias when the leading end portion is present at the facing position; and
perform at least one of a process of reducing the clinging bias of the third transfer member to be less than the clinging bias of the second transfer member; and a process of narrowing a range of the third transfer member supplied with electric charge by the clinging bias to be less than a range of the second transfer member supplied with electric charge by the clinging bias.
11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein when the trailing end portion of the belt where the trailing end of the sheet in the conveying direction is disposed is present at the facing position, the controller is configured to control the application unit to apply a clinging bias, which is greater than the clinging bias when the intermediate portion is present at the facing position, to the cling unit for supplying electric charge to the trailing end portion.
12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the application unit to stop the application of the clinging bias to the cling unit when the intermediate portion is present at the facing position.
13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when a conveying portion of the belt where an entirety of the sheet is disposed is present at a facing position where the second transfer member and the belt face with each other, the facing position being disposed on a downstream side in the conveying direction with reference to the first transfer member, the controller is configured to control the application unit to apply a bias, which is equal to or less than the transfer bias to the second transfer member.
14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to, when the intermediate portion of the belt is present at the facing position, control the application unit to apply the clinging bias, which is less than the clinging bias when the leading end portion of the belt has present at the facing position, to the cling unit for supplying the electric charge to the intermediate portion of the belt.
15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:
in response to the leading end portion of the belt arriving at the facing position, control the application unit to apply a first clinging bias to the cling unit for supplying electric charge to the leading end portion of the belt; and
in response to the leading end portion of the belt having passed the facing position, control the application unit to apply a second clinging bias, which is less than the first clinging bias, to the intermediate portion of the belt.
16. A sheet conveying method comprising the steps of:
rotating a belt of an image forming apparatus to convey a sheet;
when a leading end portion of the belt where a leading end of the sheet in a conveying direction is disposed is present at a facing position where the belt and a cling unit of the image forming apparatus face each other, controlling an application unit of the image forming apparatus to apply a clinging bias to the cling unit for supplying electric charge to the leading end portion; and
when an intermediate portion of the belt, which is disposed between the leading end portion of the belt where the leading end of the sheet in the conveying direction is disposed and a trailing end portion of the belt where a trailing end of the sheet in the conveying direction is disposed, is present at the facing position, reducing the clinging bias to be less than the clinging bias when the leading end portion is present at the facing position.
17. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer readable instruction stored thereon, which, when executed by a controller of an image forming apparatus comprising a belt, a cling unit, and an application unit, configures the controller to perform the steps of:
when a leading end portion of the belt where a leading end of a sheet in a conveying direction is disposed is present at a facing position where the belt and the cling unit face each other, controlling the application unit to apply a clinging bias to the cling unit to supply electric charge to the leading end portion; and
when an intermediate portion of the belt, which is disposed between the leading end portion of the belt where the leading end of the sheet in the conveying direction is disposed and a trailing end portion of the belt where a trailing end of the sheet in the conveying direction is disposed, is present at the facing position, reducing the clinging bias to be less than the clinging bias when the leading end portion is present at the facing position.