Abstract: A printing system which prevents a printer productivity decline due to a bottleneck in time required to read raster image data from an HDD. In the system, a printer controller includes: a data format selector which stores at least either intermediate data or raster image data generated by a data processor in the HDD in a data format selected according to PDL data and selects the data format to be read from the HDD; and an image synthesizer which sends the printing image data obtained by synthesizing the raster image data obtained by rasterization of the intermediate data read from the HDD in the format selected by the data format selector or the raster image data read from the HDD for each page, to the printer. The printer includes a print engine which prints an image on a recording material according to the printing image data from the printer controller.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a dynamic reconfigurator that is capable of dynamically reconfiguring a circuit related to one of multiple pieces of circuit information; a selector that divides image data into multiple regions and selects a piece of circuit information suitable for each of the multiple regions from the multiple pieces of circuit information; and an image processing control section that applies circuit information to the dynamic reconfigurator for each of the multiple regions, and performs image processing for each of the regions.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus, including: n laser elements arranged in the sub-scanning direction and configured to simultaneously scan an image; a pixel selection unit configured to execute a thinning process in which the pixels are thinned by selecting m pixels among n pixels arranged in the sub-scanning direction, by changing positions of the pixels to be selected according to positions in the main scanning direction; a pulse width modulation processing unit configured to sequentially convert image data corresponding to the m pixels into m pulse width modulation signals; a transmission unit configured to transmit the m pulse width modulation signals in parallel; an assignment unit configured to assign the m pulse width modulation signals to m laser elements corresponding to the positions of the m pixels; and a driving unit configured to drive the laser elements in accordance with the assigned pulse width modulation signals.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus, including: n laser elements arranged in the sub-scanning direction and configured to simultaneously scan an image; a pixel selection unit configured to execute a thinning process in which the pixels are thinned by selecting m pixels among n pixels arranged in the sub-scanning direction, and to output selected pixel information for specifying the selected pixels; a pulse width modulation processing unit configured to sequentially convert image data corresponding to the m pixels into m pulse width modulation signals; a transmission unit configured to transmit the m pulse width modulation signals in parallel; an assignment unit configured to assign the m pulse width modulation signals to m laser elements in accordance with the selected pixel information; and a driving unit configured to drive the laser elements in accordance with the assigned pulse width modulation signals.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus, including: n laser elements arranged in the sub-scanning direction and configured to simultaneously scan an image; a pixel selection unit configured to execute a thinning process in which the pixels are thinned by selecting m pixels among n pixels arranged in the sub-scanning direction, and to output selected pixel information for specifying the selected pixels; a pulse width modulation processing unit configured to sequentially convert image data corresponding to the m pixels into m pulse width modulation signals; a transmission unit configured to transmit the m pulse width modulation signals in parallel; an assignment unit configured to assign the m pulse width modulation signals to m laser elements in accordance with the selected pixel information; and a driving unit configured to drive the laser elements in accordance with the assigned pulse width modulation signals.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus, including: n laser elements arranged in the sub-scanning direction and configured to simultaneously scan an image; a pixel selection unit configured to execute a thinning process in which the pixels are thinned by selecting m pixels among n pixels arranged in the sub-scanning direction, by changing positions of the pixels to be selected according to positions in the main scanning direction; a pulse width modulation processing unit configured to sequentially convert image data corresponding to the m pixels into m pulse width modulation signals; a transmission unit configured to transmit the m pulse width modulation signals in parallel; an assignment unit configured to assign the m pulse width modulation signals to m laser elements corresponding to the positions of the m pixels; and a driving unit configured to drive the laser elements in accordance with the assigned pulse width modulation signals.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image deformation device, including: a primary memory in which a positional correction amount data for each pixel, is stored; a reference memory having a smaller storing area than the primary memory; a transfer unit configured to transfer the positional correction amount data stored in the primary memory to the reference memory separately in multiple times; and a positional correction unit configured to carry out a positional correction process, wherein the transfer unit transfers the positional correction amount data according to the predetermined order and a progress of the positional correction process in the positional correction unit so that the positional correction amount data for one pixel has been already stored in the reference memory when the positional correction unit corrects the position of the one pixel.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image deformation device, including: a primary memory in which a positional correction amount data for each pixel, is stored; a reference memory having a smaller storing area than the primary memory; a transfer unit configured to transfer the positional correction amount data stored in the primary memory to the reference memory separately in multiple times; and a positional correction unit configured to carry out a positional correction process, wherein the transfer unit transfers the positional correction amount data according to the predetermined order and a progress of the positional correction process in the positional correction unit so that the positional correction amount data for one pixel has been already stored in the reference memory when the positional correction unit corrects the position of the one pixel.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image variable magnification device including: a first screen processing unit to carry out a first screen processing for the original image by applying a dither threshold on a position in a dither threshold matrix, which corresponds to a position obtained by adding the shift amount; a second screen processing unit to carry out a second screen processing for the original image by applying a dither threshold on a position in the dither threshold matrix, which corresponds to a position obtained by adding the shift amount and +1 or ?1; and a variable magnification processing unit to shift each pixel in an image obtained by the first screen processing, in accordance with the shift amount, and to determine a gradation value of a pixel required to be inserted due to the shift, by adopting a processing result obtained by the second screen processing unit.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image variable magnification device including: a first screen processing unit to carry out a first screen processing for the original image by applying a dither threshold on a position in a dither threshold matrix, which corresponds to a position obtained by adding the shift amount; a second screen processing unit to carry out a second screen processing for the original image by applying a dither threshold on a position in the dither threshold matrix, which corresponds to a position obtained by adding the shift amount and +1 or ?1; and a variable magnification processing unit to shift each pixel in an image obtained by the first screen processing, in accordance with the shift amount, and to determine a gradation value of a pixel required to be inserted due to the shift, by adopting a processing result obtained by the second screen processing unit.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image deformation processing device including: a shift amount calculating unit configured to calculate the difference between the coordinate of the input image which is mapped to the position of the specified pixel by the deformation process and the coordinate of the specified pixel as a shift amount, for each specified pixel in the output image; and an output unit configured to obtain the threshold corresponding to the coordinate of the specified pixel in the second direction from the dispersion threshold table, to calculate a pixel shift amount by comparing the obtained threshold with a decimal component of the shift amount for the specified pixel and by rounding the decimal component of the shift amount, and to output the pixel in the input image, which has a coordinate shifted from the coordinate of the specified pixel by the pixel shift amount, as the specified pixel.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image processing apparatus including: an operation pixel arrangement unit to arrange the operation pixels to be inserted or deleted in a staggered form from one end of the image to the other end of the image in the second direction, so as to satisfy a first condition in which a distance in the first direction between the operation pixels adjacent in the second direction is 2 pixels or more and less than the predetermined number of pixels, and a second condition in which a direction in which the operation pixels adjacent in the second direction are apart from each other is reversed at intervals of not more than 2 pixels which are consecutive in the second direction; and an image enlargement/reduction unit to enlarge or reduce the image by inserting or deleting the operation pixels arranged by the operation pixel arrangement unit.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image deformation processing device including: a shift amount calculating unit configured to calculate the difference between the coordinate of the input image which is mapped to the position of the specified pixel by the deformation process and the coordinate of the specified pixel as a shift amount, for each specified pixel in the output image; and an output unit configured to obtain the threshold corresponding to the coordinate of the specified pixel in the second direction from the dispersion threshold table, to calculate a pixel shift amount by comparing the obtained threshold with a decimal component of the shift amount for the specified pixel and by rounding the decimal component of the shift amount, and to output the pixel in the input image, which has a coordinate shifted from the coordinate of the specified pixel by the pixel shift amount, as the specified pixel.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for scaling an image including: an operation position determining section for determining a pixel operation position, which is either a pixel inserting or deleting position, based on a scaling ratio; an inserting/deleting section for inserting/deleting a pixel to/from the pixel operation position determined by the operation position determining section; an error calculating section for calculating a density difference as an error between densities in a vicinity of the inserted/deleted pixel via the inserting/deleting section, before and after the insertion or deletion; and an error allocating section for allocating the error, calculated by the error calculating section, to the inserted pixel and pixels in a vicinity of the inserted or deleted pixel, so that a pixel value, after allocation, of a pixel of an allocation destination, falls within an allowable range estimated from a pixel value of a pixel near the pixel of allocation destination.

Abstract: An embodiment has: weighting interpolation section for obtaining a pixel value for a missing pixel by a one-dimensional weighting interpolating method, using pixels in the vicinity of the missing pixel as reference pixels, and for generating a primarily interpolated image signal including the interpolated pixel value in place; frequency decomposition section for decomposing the primarily interpolated image signal into frequency components; halftone dot extraction sections for obtaining a halftone dot degree indicating a degree for the vicinity of the missing pixel to be in the halftone dot region, by using higher ones of these frequency components; correction value calculation section for calculating a correction value for the missing pixel, by using lower ones of these frequency components; and correction section for correcting the pixel value of the missing pixel in the primarily interpolated image signal using the correction value depending on the halftone dot degree.

Abstract: An image decoding apparatus and method are capable of reducing block noise without difference in gradation being lost, wherein, an image is divided into a plurality of blocks containing a plurality of pixels and the pixels are encoded with label information corresponding to representative values which represent gradation of pixels in the block, and when the size in the dynamic range (distribution range of gradation) of a focused block is not less than a prescribed multiple times the size in the dynamic range in an adjacent block, a representative value, in the focused block, whose difference from the intermediate value of representative values of the adjacent block is not more than a threshold value, is assumed to be adjusted, and a variance is provided to the representative value in a decoding process.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image processing apparatus including: an operation pixel arrangement unit to arrange the operation pixels to be inserted or deleted in a staggered form from one end of the image to the other end of the image in the second direction, so as to satisfy a first condition in which a distance in the first direction between the operation pixels adjacent in the second direction is 2 pixels or more and less than the predetermined number of pixels, and a second condition in which a direction in which the operation pixels adjacent in the second direction are apart from each other is reversed at intervals of not more than 2 pixels which are consecutive in the second direction; and an image enlargement/reduction unit to enlarge or reduce the image by inserting or deleting the operation pixels arranged by the operation pixel arrangement unit.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for correcting a dislocation of image, pixels being arranged in a first and second directions perpendicular to each other, including: a section which breaks down a correction amount of the image of each pixel in the second direction into a first shift amount with a unit of a prescribed block, a second shift amount with a unit of the pixel, and a third shift amount less than the pixel size; a minimal shift section which shifts the image data by the third shift amount; a pixel unit shift section which shifts the image data by the second shift amount; and a block unit shift section which shifts the image data by the first shift amount, during compression and storage processing of the image data in the block unit, and executing arrangement of the image data after reading-out and expanding the compressed image data.

Abstract: A pixel interpolation apparatus including an interpolation section for calculating an estimation density value of a missing pixel from densities of peripheral pixels of the missing pixel; and a correction section for calculating a first average value which being an average density value of pixels in a first two-dimensional area containing the missing pixel whose density value is assumed to be the estimation density value calculated by the interpolation section and a second average value which being an average density value of a second two-dimensional area, located in a peripheral of the missing pixel, not containing the missing pixel, and for correcting the estimation density value of the missing pixel in the first two-dimensional area so that a difference between the first average value and the second average value becomes zero or small.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus for scaling an image including: an operation position determining section for determining a pixel operation position, which is either a pixel inserting or deleting position, based on a scaling ratio; an inserting/deleting section for inserting/deleting a pixel to/from the pixel operation position determined by the operation position determining section; an error calculating section for calculating a density difference as an error between densities in a vicinity of the inserted/deleted pixel via the inserting/deleting section, before and after the insertion or deletion; and an error allocating section for allocating the error, calculated by the error calculating section, to the inserted pixel and pixels in a vicinity of the inserted or deleted pixel, so that a pixel value, after allocation, of a pixel of an allocation destination, falls within an allowable range estimated from a pixel value of a pixel near the pixel of allocation destination.