Abstract: A temporary dot pattern at a dot pattern determining target gradation is determined by adding or removing dots as much as the number of dots corresponding to a gradation difference to or from a dot pattern at a gradation at which a dot pattern is already determined, and a dot pattern at a dot pattern determining target gradation is determined by performing a replacement process of replacing dots including some of dots at a dot pattern determined gradation among the dots in the temporary dot pattern with non-dot arrangements. A halftone mask may be constituted by a group of dot patterns at each gradation, or the halftone mask may be constituted by setting a dot pattern for each gradation as a threshold value.

Abstract: A temporary dot pattern at a dot pattern determining target gradation is determined by adding or removing dots as much as the number of dots corresponding to a gradation difference to or from a dot pattern at a gradation at which a dot pattern is already determined, and a dot pattern at a dot pattern determining target gradation is determined by performing a replacement process of replacing dots including some of dots at a dot pattern determined gradation among the dots in the temporary dot pattern with non-dot arrangements. A halftone mask may be constituted by a group of dot patterns at each gradation, or the halftone mask may be constituted by setting a dot pattern for each gradation as a threshold value.

Abstract: There are provided a printing system, a method of generating a halftone processing rule, a method of acquiring a characteristic parameter, image processing device and method, a halftone processing rule, a halftone image, a method of manufacturing a printed material, an ink jet printing system, and a program which are capable of reducing an operation load of a user and acquiring a halftone processing rule appropriate for the printing system. A characteristic parameter acquisition chart (100) including a pattern for acquiring characteristic parameters related to characteristics of the printing system is output, and the output characteristic parameter acquisition chart (100) is read by image reading means. The characteristic parameters are acquired by analyzing the read image of the characteristic parameter acquisition chart (100), and halftone processing rules that define the processing contents of halftone processes used in the printing system are generated based on the acquired characteristic parameters.

Abstract: The dither mask generation method includes: a process of setting a nozzle relative ejection rate which is a control target of the nozzle ejection rate and stipulates a relative using ratio of the individual nozzles; a process of setting a nozzle pattern indicating correspondence relation between individual pixels of the dither mask and the nozzles in charge of recording at respective pixel positions; a process of setting an upper limit to the nozzle ejection rates of the individual nozzles for each raster in a main scanning direction, regarding at least some thresholds; and a process of setting the thresholds to the pixels of the dither mask based on the nozzle relative ejection rate, the nozzle pattern and a limitation by the upper limit.

Abstract: An image processing device includes a first image generation unit which generates a first image obtained by applying a first low-pass filter to an input image, a second image generation unit which generates a second image obtained by applying a second low-pass filter to a halftone image, a third image generation unit which generates a third image representing a difference between the first image and the second image, a focused dot setting unit which sets a focused dot, a dot placement pixel determination unit which compares pixel values in the third image and determining a dot placement pixel for improving the uniformity of the gradation distribution in the third image, and a dot displacing unit which displaces the focused dot to the dot placement pixel and updates the halftone image.

Abstract: The dither mask generation method includes: a process of setting a nozzle pattern indicating correspondence relation between individual pixels of the dither mask and the nozzles in charge of recording of respective pixel positions; a process of setting dot priority pixels to be candidates of a pixel to set a threshold among the pixels of the dither mask, based on the nozzle pattern; a process of setting the threshold to the pixel belonging to the dot priority pixels; and a process of changing the dot priority pixels before the threshold is set to all the dot priority pixels tentatively set by the dot priority pixel setting process regarding at least some thresholds.

Abstract: There are provided a printing system, a method of generating a halftone processing rule, a method of acquiring a characteristic parameter, image processing device and method, a halftone processing rule, a halftone image, a method of manufacturing a printed material, an ink jet printing system, and a program which are capable of reducing an operation load of a user and acquiring a halftone processing rule appropriate for the printing system. A characteristic parameter acquisition chart (100) including a pattern for acquiring characteristic parameters related to characteristics of the printing system is output, and the output characteristic parameter acquisition chart (100) is read by image reading means. The characteristic parameters are acquired by analyzing the read image of the characteristic parameter acquisition chart (100), and halftone processing rules that define the processing contents of halftone processes used in the printing system are generated based on the acquired characteristic parameters.

Abstract: There are provided image processing device and method, a printing system, a halftone process determination method, and a program capable of determining a processing rule of an appropriate halftone process appropriate for characteristics of a printing system. An image processing device (20) according to the present invention includes characteristic parameter acquisition means (52) for acquiring characteristic parameters related to characteristics of a printing system, and halftone process generation means (58) for generating halftone processing rules that define the processing contents of two or more kinds of halftone processes of which balances of priority for a plurality of requirements required in the halftone process are different based on the characteristic parameters acquired by the characteristic parameter acquisition means (52).

Abstract: Provided are an image processing device, an image processing method, and an ink jet recording apparatus that can prevent the occurrence of density unevenness, such as banding, regardless of a duty, without causing deterioration of image quality. A jetting rate indicating an ink jetting rate of each of a plurality of nozzles which jet ink in a recording head including the nozzles is determined. A nozzle pattern indicating which of the plurality of nozzles of the recording head is used to record each pixel of an image on a recording medium is determined. The jetting rate of the nozzle which records each pixel is reflected in a gradation value of each pixel of the image on the basis of the determination result of the jetting rate and the determination result of the nozzle pattern to convert the gradation value of each pixel.

Abstract: The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, ultrasound image generation apparatus and method transmit ultrasound waves to a subject into which a puncture tool is inserted, receive reflected waves reflected from the subject and the puncture tool, and generate echo signals of time-sequential frames based on the received reflected waves, and generate an ultrasound image of the subject based on the generated echo signals. These apparatus and method generate a differential echo signal between time-sequential frames from the echo signals, perform a tip detection process based on the differential echo signal to thereby detect at least one tip candidate including a tip end of the puncture tool, highlight a tip candidate of the puncture tool detected to thereby generate a tip image, and display the tip image of the highlighted puncture tool so as to be superimposed on the generated ultrasound image.

Abstract: The dither mask generation method includes: a nozzle ejection rate determination process of determining a nozzle ejection rate of each nozzle in a recording head; a corresponding nozzle specifying process of specifying the nozzle corresponding to individual pixels of a dither mask by making at least one nozzle in charge of recording at each pixel position correspond to the individual pixels of the dither mask; a nozzle ejection rate reflecting processing process of performing processing of reflecting the nozzle ejection rate on an evaluation index when individual thresholds of the dither mask are set; and a threshold setting process of setting the thresholds to the individual pixels of the dither mask on the basis of the evaluation index.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes plural ultrasound transducers which perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves toward a target site of a subject containing a puncture needle. A method of transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave uses the ultrasound transducers. The apparatus and the method form an ultrasonic beam to be transmitted from a transmit aperture set on the ultrasound transducers, acquire information relating to a specular-reflective component of the ultrasonic beam in the puncture needle, set a first receive aperture different from the transmit aperture set on the ultrasound transducers on the basis of the information relating to the specular-reflective component of the ultrasonic beam, and process an ultrasonic echo signal received by the ultrasound transducers using the first receive aperture.

Abstract: Provided are an image processing device, an image processing method, and an ink jet recording apparatus that can prevent the occurrence of density unevenness, such as banding, regardless of a duty, without causing deterioration of image quality. A jetting rate indicating an ink jetting rate of each of a plurality of nozzles which jet ink in a recording head including the nozzles is determined. A nozzle pattern indicating which of the plurality of nozzles of the recording head is used to record each pixel of an image on a recording medium is determined. The jetting rate of the nozzle which records each pixel is reflected in a gradation value of each pixel of the image on the basis of the determination result of the jetting rate and the determination result of the nozzle pattern to convert the gradation value of each pixel.

Abstract: The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, ultrasound image generation apparatus and method transmit ultrasound waves to a subject into which a puncture tool is inserted, receive reflected waves reflected from the subject and the puncture tool, and generate echo signals of time-sequential frames based on the received reflected waves, and generate an ultrasound image of the subject based on the generated echo signals. These apparatus and method generate a differential echo signal between time-sequential frames from the echo signals, perform a tip detection process based on the differential echo signal to thereby detect at least one tip candidate including a tip end of the puncture tool, highlight a tip candidate of the puncture tool detected to thereby generate a tip image, and display the tip image of the highlighted puncture tool so as to be superimposed on the generated ultrasound image.

Abstract: The dither mask generation method includes: a process of setting a nozzle pattern indicating correspondence relation between individual pixels of the dither mask and the nozzles in charge of recording of respective pixel positions; a process of setting dot priority pixels to be candidates of a pixel to set a threshold among the pixels of the dither mask, based on the nozzle pattern; a process of setting the threshold to the pixel belonging to the dot priority pixels; and a process of changing the dot priority pixels before the threshold is set to all the dot priority pixels tentatively set by the dot priority pixel setting process regarding at least some thresholds.

Abstract: The dither mask generation method includes: a process of setting a nozzle relative ejection rate which is a control target of the nozzle ejection rate and stipulates a relative using ratio of the individual nozzles; a process of setting a nozzle pattern indicating correspondence relation between individual pixels of the dither mask and the nozzles in charge of recording at respective pixel positions; a process of setting an upper limit to the nozzle ejection rates of the individual nozzles for each raster in a main scanning direction, regarding at least some thresholds; and a process of setting the thresholds to the pixels of the dither mask based on the nozzle relative ejection rate, the nozzle pattern and a limitation by the upper limit.

Abstract: There are provided a printing system, a method of generating a halftone processing rule, a method of acquiring a characteristic parameter, image processing device and method, a halftone processing rule, a halftone image, a method of manufacturing a printed material, an ink jet printing system, and a program which are capable of reducing an operation load of a user and acquiring a halftone processing rule appropriate for the printing system. A characteristic parameter acquisition chart (100) including a pattern for acquiring characteristic parameters related to characteristics of the printing system is output, and the output characteristic parameter acquisition chart (100) is read by image reading means. The characteristic parameters are acquired by analyzing the read image of the characteristic parameter acquisition chart (100), and halftone processing rules that define the processing contents of halftone processes used in the printing system are generated based on the acquired characteristic parameters.

Abstract: There are provided image processing device and method, a printing system, a halftone process determination method, and a program capable of determining a processing rule of an appropriate halftone process appropriate for characteristics of a printing system. An image processing device (20) according to the present invention includes characteristic parameter acquisition means (52) for acquiring characteristic parameters related to characteristics of a printing system, and halftone process generation means (58) for generating halftone processing rules that define the processing contents of two or more kinds of halftone processes of which balances of priority for a plurality of requirements required in the halftone process are different based on the characteristic parameters acquired by the characteristic parameter acquisition means (52).

Abstract: This ultrasound image generating device includes an ultrasound probe which transmits ultrasound into a subject, receives reflected sound, and outputs an ultrasound detection signal, the ultrasound image generating device generating a topographical image which represents a shape. The ultrasound image generating device further includes a sound speed value computation unit which computes a sound speed value in a region of interest in the topographical image; and a degree of reliability information generation unit which generates degree of reliability information of the sound speed value on the basis of the sound speed value corresponding to the region of interest.

Abstract: A image processing device includes a nozzle ejection rate determination unit that determines a first nozzle ejection rate for each nozzle, a nozzle pattern determination unit that determines a nozzle pattern indicating by which of the plurality of nozzles individual pixels are to be recorded, a conversion unit that converts gradation values reflecting the first nozzle ejection rate on the gradation values of the individual pixels, and a halftone processing unit that performs halftone processing to an image converted by the conversion unit. The halftone processing unit performs the halftone processing using a second dither mask generated by threshold conversion reflecting a second nozzle ejection rate on a threshold of a first dither mask.