Abstract: To provide a bandwidth extension method which allows reduction of computation amount in bandwidth extension and suppression of deterioration of quality in the bandwidth to be extended. In the bandwidth extension method: a low frequency bandwidth signal is transformed into a QMF domain to generate a first low frequency QMF spectrum; pitch-shifted signals are generated by applying different shifting factors on the low frequency bandwidth signal; a high frequency QMF spectrum is generated by time-stretching the pitch-shifted signals in the QMF domain; the high frequency QMF spectrum is modified; and the modified high frequency QMF spectrum is combined with the first low frequency QMF spectrum.

Abstract: A shielding metal of an adjacent liquid crystal panel separated from a mother substrate remains at an outer end part of a terminal portion of a liquid crystal display panel. The shielding metal has a two-layered structure including first shielding metals arranged at predetermined pitches and second shielding metals arranged at predetermined pitches. An insulating layer is provided between the first and the second shielding metals. This makes it possible to prevent short-circuit in wirings on a flexible wiring substrate even if the wirings on the flexible wiring substrate are brought into contact with the first or the second shielding metal.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a generation unit; wherein a first dither pattern and a second dither pattern have same threshold values that are set for same pixels in a first gradation range, and have different threshold values that are set for same pixels in a second gradation range that exceeds the first gradation range; and the generation unit sets a first threshold value for forming dots of the first dither pattern, and generates a first binary data according to whether or not a threshold value corresponding to a target pixel of the first dither pattern is included in the first threshold value, and sets a second threshold value for forming dots of the second dither pattern, and generates a second binary data according to whether or not a threshold value corresponding to a target pixel of the second dither pattern is included in the second threshold value.

Abstract: The present invention reduces an uneven color of a color having two or more colors of inks, the uneven color occurring due to manufacturing variations of ink ejection nozzles and so on. Each of a plurality of correction tables that is assigned to each predetermined number of nozzles that are used for printing on a common region in the print medium, of a plurality of nozzle arrays formed on a print head, each of the nozzle arrays ejecting a plurality of inks including a first ink and a second ink whose color is different from the color of the first ink, is generated on the basis of at least an ink ejection property of nozzles ejecting the first and second inks.

Abstract: A bandwidth extension parameter generation device includes: a derivation unit which derives a high-band signal representing a high-band portion of an input sound signal; and a calculation unit which calculates a tone parameter and a floor parameter, the tone parameter indicating a magnitude of energy of a tone component of the high-band signal, the floor parameter indicating a magnitude of energy of a floor component obtained by subtracting the tone component from the high-band signal.

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: 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: 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: To provide an audio signal processing apparatus which can perform, with low operation amount, audio signal processing that is either time stretch and/or compression processing or frequency modulation processing. The audio signal processing apparatus is intended to transform an input audio signal sequence using a predetermined adjustment factor. The audio signal processing apparatus includes a filter bank (2601) which transforms the input audio signal sequence into Quadrature Mirror Filter (QMF) coefficients using a filter for Quadrature Mirror Filter analysis (a QMF analysis filter) and an adjusting unit (2602) which adjusts the QMF coefficients based on a predetermined adjustment factor.

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 apparatus includes a generation unit; wherein a first dither pattern and a second dither pattern have same threshold values that are set for same pixels in a first gradation range, and have different threshold values that are set for same pixels in a second gradation range that exceeds the first gradation range; and the generation unit sets a first threshold value for forming dots of the first dither pattern, and generates a first binary data according to whether or not a threshold value corresponding to a target pixel of the first dither pattern is included in the first threshold value, and sets a second threshold value for forming dots of the second dither pattern, and generates a second binary data according to whether or not a threshold value corresponding to a target pixel of the second dither pattern is included in the second threshold value.

Abstract: Provided is a dither pattern generation method so that a dot arrangement having excellent dispersibility can be obtained in low-gradation areas for single colors and for mixed colors. The dither pattern generation method generates dot patterns for low-gradation areas having threshold values 1 to S so that high dispersibility is obtained in a cyan dot pattern and a magenta dot pattern, and so that in a combined dot pattern made by combining these dot patterns there are no overlapping pixels. The dither pattern generation method then sets threshold values for a cyan dither pattern and a magenta dither pattern based on these generated dot patterns.

Abstract: Provided is a quantization processing method using dither patterns that make it possible to obtain a dot array having excellent dispersibility even in the case of a single color or mixed color inks. For this purpose, first and second dither patterns are prepared in order to respectively quantize multivalued data for a first ink to different pieces of binary data, respectively. Also, third and fourth dither patterns are prepared in order to respectively quantize multivalued data for a second ink to different pieces of binary data. Further, on the basis of a combination of the multivalued data on the first ink and the multivalued data on the second ink, a quantization unit for the first ink, and a quantization unit for the second ink are determined.

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: 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: The invention provides a method for detection of mutant-type DNA or/and wild-type DNA by contacting at least one of a single-stranded DNA having a substituted nucleotide, a deficient nucleotide region, or an inserted nucleotide region (mutant-type DNA), or/and a wild-type single-stranded DNA corresponding to the mutant-type DNA (wild-type DNA) with a probe hybridizing with both single-stranded DNAs, to form a hybrid with the mutant-type DNA (mutant-type hybrid) or/and a hybrid with the wild-type DNA (wild-type hybrid) (at least one of the obtained mutant-type hybrid and wild-type hybrid has a loop structure), (2) contacting the obtained mutant-type hybrid or/and wild-type hybrid with an intercalator, and (3) detecting the presence or absence of the mutant-type DNA or/and the wild-type DNA by separating the conjugate of mutant-type hybrid and intercalator or/and the conjugate of wild-type hybrid and intercalator.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of detecting DNA having a microsatellite region without causing the problem of a non-specific reaction product. The method includes (1) contacting a probe, which does not have a nucleotide sequence complementary to the microsatellite region and hybridizes with both sides of the nucleotide sequences of the microsatellite region, with DNA having the microsatellite region, to form a hybrid of the DNA and the probe, which has a loop structure including a microsatellite region, (2) separating the obtained hybrid, (3) detecting the hybrid. The invention also provides a hybrid of DNA and a probe, having a loop structure including a microsatellite region, which is made by contacting DNA having a microsatellite region with the probe which does not have a nucleotide sequence complementary to the microsatellite region, and hybridizes with both sides of the nucleotide sequence of the microsatellite region.

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: 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: An encoding and decoding system includes: a characteristic determining unit which determines whether a sound signal is a speech signal or an audio signal; an encoder which encodes the sound signal into an encoded signal, based on a determination by the characteristic determining unit; a transmitting unit which transmits the encoded signal; a receiving unit which receives the encoded signal; a decoder which decodes the encoded signal; and a packet loss detecting unit which detects a loss of data of the encoded signal and transmits a notification indicating the loss of the data to the characteristic determining unit. Upon receiving the notification indicating the loss of the data, the characteristic determining unit causes the encoder to encode the sound signal portion into a signal portion composed of independently decodable frames.