Abstract: The present invention is directed to a leakage oil detection device for detecting leakage oil in an oil filled apparatus including: a light source configured to irradiate the apparatus; an imaging device configured to capture an image of the apparatus; a control device configured to control operations of the light source and the imaging device; a storage device configured to store a captured image; an image processing device configured to process the stored image; and a display device configured to display a processing result. The light source and the imaging device are arranged to capture specular reflection light from a surface of the apparatus as a target object. The image processing device recognizes a brightest portion and an adjacent dark portion on the image as leakage oil adhesion portions when a three-layer structure of luminance having bright portions having different luminances and a dark portion is observed in the image.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a first, second, and third chips connected in series. The second chip includes a receiving unit, a register, a determination unit, an address translation unit, a controller unit, and a transmission unit. The receiving unit receives data and address information from the first chip. The determination unit determines whether the received address information corresponds to an address translation area based on address translation information set to the register. The address translation unit outputs translated address information to an internal bus. The controller unit controls to store data to which address information corresponding to an address area set for the second chip is attached. The transmission unit transmits to the third chip data to which address information is attached. The address translation unit translates address information corresponding to an address area set for the second chip into an address destination in the second chip.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a first, second, and third chips connected in series. The second chip includes a receiving unit, a register, a determination unit, an address translation unit, a controller unit, and a transmission unit. The receiving unit receives data and address information from the first chip. The determination unit determines whether the received address information corresponds to an address translation area based on address translation information set to the resister. The address translation unit outputs translated address information to an internal bus. The controller unit controls to store data to which address information corresponding to an address area set for the second chip is attached. The transmission unit transmits to the third chip data to which address information is attached. The address translation unit translates address information corresponding to an address area set for the second chip into an address destination in the second chip.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a first transfer unit configured to DMA-transfer input data to a holding unit, a second transfer unit configured to DMA-transfer the input data held by the holding unit to at least one unit, a notification unit configured to notify, in accordance with the DMA transferring of the first transfer unit, that the input data held by the holding unit is updated, and a transfer control unit configured to control so as to operate the second transfer unit in one of a first mode for transferring the input data from the holding unit to the at least one unit in response to the notification and a second mode for transferring the input data independently of the notification, wherein the transfer unit performs the switching to the second mode after the operation in the first mode.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a first transfer unit configured to DMA-transfer input data to a holding unit, a second transfer unit configured to DMA-transfer the input data held by the holding unit to at least one unit, a notification unit configured to notify, in accordance with the DMA transferring of the first transfer unit, that the input data held by the holding unit is updated, and a transfer control unit configured to control so as to operate the second transfer unit in one of a first mode for transferring the input data from the holding unit to the at least one unit in response to the notification and a second mode for transferring the input data independently of the notification, wherein the transfer unit performs the switching to the second mode after the operation in the first mode.

Abstract: A channel selection section selects whether the subsequent processing to the image data is executed by image distribution precedence processing or by gradation lowering precedence processing in accordance with channel information of the image data. That is, in regard to the channels of C, M and K with relatively high density among inks, the image distribution precedence processing excellent in robustness is selected. On the other hand, in the ink of the color with high brightness or low density, even if the print position of the dot is shifted, the density change due to this shift is not so much large. It is possible to restrict an increase in the processing load due to executing the gradation lowering processing after the distribution processing to each of the plural divided images by thus not selecting the image distribution precedence processing in consideration of the robustness.

Abstract: Multi-valued image data stored in an input image buffer are read out for each time of scans, and the color space conversion and image distribution are performed to read multi-valued image data. The binarized result is sent to the print buffer and at the same time, is accumulated as the print information to execute processing of reflecting it to the image distribution processing of the next pass. It is possible to appropriately restrict the density fluctuation due to the print position shift between planes without providing pixels where dots are overlapped and printed more than necessary. With this, by accumulating the multi-valued image data at the stage of RGB in the input image buffer to read out data stored in input image buffer for executing processing, a capacity required for input image buffer does not change even if the number of the ink colors provided on the printing apparatus increases.

Abstract: This invention is directed to efficiently compressing data used in an image process for an unprocessed line adjacent to a process line in an image data process for each line, and reducing the memory band. To accomplish this, processed image data is compressed, and it is determined whether the process direction of image data of the next line is the first direction or the second direction opposite to the first direction. The data organization of the compressed image data is changed in accordance with the determination result. A memory stores the compressed image data whose data organization has been changed. The compressed image data stored in the memory is read out and decompressed. An image process is performed using the decompressed image data and image data of a line adjacent to the line of the processed image data.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus processes, for each pixel, multivalued image data for a unit area of a recording medium, so as to form an image on the unit area with a plurality of relative movements between a recording head and the recording medium. The apparatus has a selector that selects a first processing mode for dividing the multivalued image data into a plurality of pieces of multivalued image data corresponding to the plurality of relative movements, and then quantizing each of the plurality of pieces of multivalued image data, or a second processing mode for quantizing the multivalued image data into quantized image data, and then dividing the quantized image data into a plurality of pieces of quantized image data corresponding to the plurality of relative movements. The selector selects the processing mode based on a content (attribute, grayscale, color, etc.) of the multivalued image data.

Abstract: An electronic watermark embedding apparatus and an electronic watermark embedding method can severally deal with both of the resistance property of an electronic watermark and the prevention of image quality deterioration. Electronic watermark information of a high importance level is embedded in a component having a strong resistance property, and electronic watermark information of a low importance level is embedded in a component exerting little influence on an image quality. As a result, the electronic watermark information to be embedded in the component having a strong resistance property is limited to that of a high importance level. Moreover, the image quality deterioration can be suppressed in comparison with the case of embedding all pieces of information, and the electronic watermark information of low importance level is embedded in the component having a weak resistance property but exerting little influence on an image quality.

Abstract: M-value image data is inputted; a value of a pixel of interest in the inputted image data is quantized to N(N>M) value by an error diffusion method; it is determined whether both of a value of the pixel of interest to be quantized and an error value to be added to the pixel of interest are zero; and if it is determined that the value of the pixel of interest and the error value are zero, zero is outputted as a quantization result without performing quantization by the error diffusion method.

Abstract: In a multipass printing that performs a plurality of printing scans over a unit area of a print medium by using a leading head and a follower head, the multivalued image data for the leading head is distributed according to the print volume information for up to the preceding printing scan. Then, the multivalued image data for the leading head is subjected to the grayscale level reduction operation to generate binary data. Based on the binary data, the print volume information is updated, after which the multivalued image data for the follower head is distributed according to the print volume information. This causes a plurality of printing scans or a plurality of print heads, that print the same unit area, to have a correlation among them, with the result that dots on a plurality of planes when overlapped have an excellent scattering characteristic.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus, a printing apparatus and an image processing method are provided which can perform quantization processing on image data at high speed based on an error diffusion method while at the same time avoiding degradations in a quality of printed images. When the error value represented by the error data is equal to or less than the reference value, at least a part of the data portion that can represent an error value in excess of the reference value is eliminated to compress the error data.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus, a printing apparatus and an image processing method are provided which can perform quantization processing on image data at high speed based on an error diffusion method while at the same time avoiding degradations in a quality of printed images. When an error value represented by error data is a particular value, the error data is converted into compressed error data with a data volume less than that of the original error data.

Abstract: Multi-valued image data stored in an input image buffer are read out for each time of scans, and the color space conversion and image distribution are performed to read multi-valued image data. The binarized result is sent to the print buffer and at the same time, is accumulated as the print information to execute processing of reflecting it to the image distribution processing of the next pass. It is possible to appropriately restrict the density fluctuation due to the print position shift between planes without providing pixels where dots are overlapped and printed more than necessary. With this, by accumulating the multi-valued image data at the stage of RGB in the input image buffer to read out data stored in input image buffer for executing processing, a capacity required for input image buffer does not change even if the number of the ink colors provided on the printing apparatus increases.

Abstract: A channel selection section selects whether the subsequent processing to the image data is executed by image distribution precedence processing or by gradation lowering precedence processing in accordance with channel information of the image data. That is, in regard to the channels of C, M and K with relatively high density among inks, the image distribution precedence processing excellent in robustness is selected. On the other hand, in the ink of the color with high brightness or low density, even if the print position of the dot is shifted, the density change due to this shift is not so much large. It is possible to restrict an increase in the processing load due to executing the gradation lowering processing after the distribution processing to each of the plural divided images by thus not selecting the image distribution precedence processing in consideration of the robustness.

Abstract: The quantity processing is executed to data distributed for each color. Binary data obtained by this quantization processing are selected only in regard to a color generating print quantity information. Filtering processing is executed to the binary data of the selected color to generate the print quantity information. In the quantization processing for a second plane, data found by converting the print quantity information generated in the first plane processing into a minus value are added to the multi-valued data. In the quantization processing in the second plane added, the value of the multi-valued data is made small and in the quantity, probability that the multi-valued data become binary data printing the dots is made small. That is, a ratio where dots in the first plane and dots in the second plane overlap and are formed can be made small.

Abstract: In a multipass printing that performs a plurality of printing scans over a unit area of a print medium by using a leading head and a follower head, the multivalued image data for the leading head is distributed according to the print volume information for up to the preceding printing scan. Then, the multivalued image data for the leading head is subjected to the grayscale level reduction operation to generate binary data. Based on the binary data, the print volume information is updated, after which the multivalued image data for the follower head is distributed according to the print volume information. This causes a plurality of printing scans or a plurality of print heads, that print the same unit area, to have a correlation among them, with the result that dots on a plurality of planes when overlapped have an excellent scattering characteristic.

Abstract: This invention is directed to efficiently compressing data used in an image process for an unprocessed line adjacent to a process line in an image data process for each line, and reducing the memory band. To accomplish this, processed image data is compressed, and it is determined whether the process direction of image data of the next line is the first direction or the second direction opposite to the first direction. The data organization of the compressed image data is changed in accordance with the determination result. A memory stores the compressed image data whose data organization has been changed. The compressed image data stored in the memory is read out and decompressed. An image process is performed using the decompressed image data and image data of a line adjacent to the line of the processed image data.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus and an image forming method are provided which can produce an image with high robustness that can keep image impairments from becoming noticeable even when there are printing characteristic variations over a range of positions of the print elements, as in the case of an end deflection phenomenon. This is realized by distributing multilevel grayscale values of individual pixels according to distribution coefficients determined for the individual print elements that print the pixels, allocating the distributed grayscale values to the associated planes, and binarizing the allocated grayscale values in each plane. With this process, the grayscale value distribution factors in each scan of multipass printing can be determined according to the positions of individual print elements on the print head.