Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an acquiring unit which acquires first image data indicating a first gray-scale value of an image having a first attribute and a second image data indicating a second gray-scale value of an image having a second attribute that is different from the first attribute, a correcting unit which corrects the first gray-scale value and the second gray-scale value acquired by the acquiring unit on basis of information on an ejection characteristic of a discharge head to different extents, the discharge head ejecting liquid to be used for forming the first image and the second image on a recording medium with dots.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an acquiring unit configured to acquire first image data representing gradation of a black character image, and second image data having a resolution lower than that of the first image data and representing gradation of a color image; a first generating unit configured to generate first dot data in accordance with a gradation value of each pixel in the first image data acquired by the acquiring unit; and a second generating unit configured to assign a number of dots to each pixel in the second image data, the number being greater than the maximum number of dots to be assigned by the first generating unit to each pixel in the first image data, and generating dot data for forming an image having an image attribute, in accordance with a gradation value of each pixel in the second image data acquired by the acquiring unit.

Abstract: A sensor device includes a detector portion, plural metal terminals that transmit a detection signal from the detector portion, and a housing portion, which integrally supports the detector portion and metal terminals, formed from resin, leading end portions of the plural metal terminals configuring connector terminals, and the plural metal terminals being disposed with at least one portion thereof aligned when seen from the axial direction of the connector terminals, wherein protruding portions protruding in a direction differing from the axial direction of the connector terminals are provided on the metal terminals.

Abstract: In an overlapping head including a plurality of recording head chips overlapped to each other, a color shift can occur between a color recorded by an overlapping region and a color recorded by a non-overlapping region, which cannot be corrected by a density correction using head shading or the like. To correct such a color shift, a test pattern is recorded by the overlapping region and the non-overlapping region and colors of the recorded test pattern are measured. Color correction data to be used in correction of colors of an image to be recorded is generated based on a result of the measurement of the colors.

Abstract: In image processing, it is possible to suppress density fluctuation and keep graininess low as well as obtain a good balance of the processing load. More specifically, when dividing multi-valued data and generating two-pass multi-pass printing data, divided multi-valued data that is common to the two passes is generated in addition to the divided multi-valued data for each of the two passes. Moreover, quantized data of that common multi-valued data is reflected on the quantized data for each pass. Furthermore, when generating quantized data, a process of generating common data by the aforementioned data division, or a process of performing quantization first without dividing the multi-valued data and then dividing the quantized 2-pass data is selectively performed according to the printing position on printing medium.

Abstract: Provided is an image processing apparatus that can accurately and efficiently reduce color unevenness that occurs in a color image, which is formed by color mixture of a plurality of different types of inks, due to a variation in ejection characteristic among nozzles. The inks are respectively ejected from the nozzle arrays to print patches; regions where color correction for test color images should be performed are specified; a different types of color correction processing for color signals corresponding to the color correction regions are performed to print color correction patches; a color correction patch to be used is selected; on the basis of selected color correction processing, a table parameter corresponding to a nozzle is formed; when the plurality of color correction patches are formed, only correction candidate values having larger color differences than a predetermined threshold value in a uniform color space are generated for color signals.

Abstract: An image processing device includes a first and a second image processing module including an image processing unit, and a connection module that is connected to the first and second image processing modules, and moves an image data from one image processing module to the other image processing module. At least one of the image processing modules includes a weighted average processing unit that calculates, based on a weighting coefficient included in an attribute value, a weighted average of a pixel value of the input image data and a image processed pixel value, and an output unit which outputs at least one of the image processed pixel value and the weighted-averaged pixel value.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for generating dot data to form an image by forming dots on a recording medium includes a receiving unit, a first, second, and third generating unit, and a correcting unit. The receiving unit receives first and second image data included in image data. The first generating unit generates, per the first image data, first ink color data representing a multi-valued signal value corresponding to an ink color. The second generating unit generates, per the second image data, second ink color data representing a multi-valued signal value corresponding to an ink color. The correcting unit corrects the signal value represented by the generated first and second ink color data. The third generating unit generates, per the first and second ink color data of which the signal values have been corrected, the dot data representing existence of formation of dots to form an image.

Abstract: Nozzles in a print head are arrayed in a density of 600 dpi. Moreover, a dither matrix has a size of 16 pixels×16 pixels in 600 dpi. The dither matrix is repeatedly used. In the meantime, each of rectangles represents an HS processing unit. WHS=3 pixels. As a consequence, the relationship of a least common multiple below is established in a nozzle array direction: 3×WD=16×WHS. In this case, the cycle of interference unevenness can be prolonged to the least common multiple between WD and WHS, that is, 48 pixels (3WD). In this manner, the size of the dither matrix is not an integral multiple of the HS processing unit width, so that the cycle of interference unevenness can be prolonged more than the size of the dither matrix. Thus, the interference unevenness can be hardly recognized.

Abstract: In an image processing apparatus for encoding image data and a method of controlling the same, whether an attribute of each of a plurality of areas in image data corresponds to an edge in an image based on the image data is determined, and one of a plurality of sub-sampling processes is selected according to the determination for each of the plurality of areas. Note that the plurality of sub-sampling processes can sub-sample color difference components of each of the plurality of areas by different processes. By the sub-sampling process selected as that corresponding to each of the plurality of areas, each of the plurality of areas is sub-sampled to encode the image data.

Abstract: Adequate correction processing is performed on image data based on the degree of ink concentration that occurs even. An image processing apparatus having: acquisition unit for acquiring multi-value image data and a first parameter related to the degree of concentration of ink; first generation unit for generating corrected data by correcting the multi-value data that is to be printed for the first pixel based on the multi-value data that is to printed in the first pixel and a first parameter; and second generation unit for generating the first parameter and a second parameter that indicates the degree of ink concentration of the plurality of nozzles when printing a second pixel that is printed by the nozzles next to the first pixel.

Abstract: An image processing device processes image data, which expresses an image and is edited to image data including, in correspondence with each pixel of the image, a pixel value field that holds a pixel value of the pixel and an attribute value field that holds an attribute value. The image processing device includes a first and a second image processing module, and a connection module that is connected to the first and second image processing modules, and moves the image data from one image processing module to the other image processing module. At least one of the image processing modules has a first function to output an image processing result for a pixel value of the input image data as an output pixel value, and a second function to output an image processing result for a pixel value of the input image data as an output attribute value.

Abstract: One dither mask having a highest spacial frequency is selected from a plurality of dither masks. Next, a granularity is obtained with reference to a table based on the selected dither mask and an ejection amount level per area. Moreover, a difference in granularity between adjacent areas is calculated with respect to all of the areas. A maximum value is obtained out of the obtained differences in granularity, and then, the maximum difference in granularity is compared with a determination threshold. When the maximum difference in granularity is the threshold or greater, it is determined whether or not a dither mask having a spacial frequency lower than that of the selected dither mask is stored in a memory. When there are dither masks having lower spacial frequencies, a dither mask having a spacial frequency lower by one level than that of the selected dither mask is selected.

Abstract: An image processing device includes a first and a second image processing module including an image processing unit, and a connection module that is connected to the first and second image processing modules, and moves an image data from one image processing module to the other image processing module. At least one of the image processing modules includes a weighted average processing unit that calculates, based on a weighting coefficient included in an attribute value, a weighted average of a pixel value of the input image data and a image processed pixel value, and an output unit which outputs at least one of the image processed pixel value and the weighted-averaged pixel value.

Abstract: When an image is recorded using a multichip recording head including a plurality of chips each having a plurality of nozzle arrays, a change in image density can occur due to a registration error between chips in an overlapping part where two chips are connected. To suppress the change in image density, input image data is distributed to two chips such that there are dots overlapping each other between the two chips in the overlapping part.

Abstract: In an image processing apparatus for encoding image data and a method of controlling the same, whether an attribute of each of a plurality of areas in image data corresponds to an edge in an image based on the image data is determined, and one of a plurality of sub-sampling processes is selected according to the determination for each of the plurality of areas. Note that the plurality of sub-sampling processes can sub-sample color difference components of each of the plurality of areas by different processes. By the sub-sampling process selected as that corresponding to each of the plurality of areas, each of the plurality of areas is sub-sampled to encode the image data.

Abstract: The memory size and processing time for the correction of image data carried out to reduce image deterioration caused by nozzle ejection characteristic variation in an inkjet printing apparatus can be minimized. Print heads are provided with pluralities of chips that have nozzle arrays formed from a plurality of nozzles. Overlap portions and non-overlap portions are formed on each chip. An image processing apparatus sets input image data, corresponding to nozzle regions that are defined in nozzle arrays along the alignment direction of the nozzles of the print head and that are composed of a plurality of nozzles, as processing blocks. The input image data is processed according to parameters defined for each of those processing blocks. The boundaries of the nozzle regions corresponding to the input image data of the processing blocks are established according to the boundaries of the overlap portions and the non-overlap portions.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus is provided that is capable of very accurately and efficiently reducing uneven color caused by variation in ejection characteristics among nozzles that eject ink and that occurs in a color image that is formed by mixing a plurality of different kinds of ink. A patch is printed by ejected ink from a plurality of nozzles, a region is specified so as to perform color correction in a test color image that is printed on a printing medium, a plurality of different color correction processing is performed on color signals that correspond to a color correction region, a plurality of color correction patches are printed, a color correction patch to be used is selected from among the plurality of different color correction patches and table parameters that correspond to the nozzles are created based on the selected color correction processing.

Abstract: Multi-valued image data corresponding to a pixel area is divided into the first scanning multi-valued data, first and second scanning common multi-valued data, and second scanning multi-valued data. A quantization processing is executed on each of the multi-valued data to generate first scanning quantized data, first and second scanning common quantized data, and second scanning quantized data. After that, these pieces of quantized data are combined for each scanning to generate first scanning combined quantized data and second scanning combined quantized data. According to this, the amount of pixels where dots are both recorded by performing a scanning by plural times (the amount of overlapping dots) is controlled, and while suppressing the image density variations, the granularity is held to a low level.

Abstract: In the present invention, a first calculation unit calculates, based on image data obtained by reading with a reading unit a plurality of patches formed on a printing medium by a plurality of nozzle regions constituting nozzle array of a printing head, respective color specification values of a plurality of correction regions corresponding to a plurality of nozzle regions constituting the nozzle array. Then, a target value setting unit sets, based on the calculated color specification values of the plurality of correction regions, a target color specification value of the patch. Further, a second calculation unit calculates a difference between each of the color specification values of the plurality of correction regions and the target color specification value as a correction amount. After that, based on the correction amount calculated, image data corresponding to an image printed by each of the plurality of nozzle regions are corrected.