Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
358300130 | Dithering (e.g., spatial distribution of print elements by threshold matrix) | 56 |
20080278764 | Image Processing Apparatus, Program, Image Forming Apparatus, Image Forming Method, And Dither Matrix - An organized dither matrix is composed of a main matrix having dispersibility and a sub-matrix having randomness, and the intensity of a frequency characteristic of an output image relatively increases from a low frequency component, through an intermediate frequency component, to a high frequency component in respective tone levels. | 11-13-2008 |
20080309983 | METHOD, APPARATUS AND PROGRAM FOR CREATING A THRESHOLD VALUE MATRIX - In a first process, initial dot pattern of a predetermined dot rate “a” is created in a first process, and a gradation value corresponding to the dot rate “a” is arranged as a threshold value in the position of the pixel of the threshold value matrix corresponding to the initial dot pattern. Then in a second process, the initial dot pattern or the dot pattern having occurred prior to the second computation is used as the dot pattern of dot rate “b”, and new dots including the dots of the dot pattern of dot rate “b” is generated or any of the dots is removed from the dot pattern of the dot rate “b” by the error diffusion method. Thus, the dot pattern of the next dot rate “b′” with its dot rate having been increased or decreased in the aforementioned procedure is generated. | 12-18-2008 |
20090002768 | Document Color and Shades of Gray Optimization Using Dithered Monochrome Surfaces - Methods, apparatus, software, and systems of the present invention allow for optimization of color and shades of gray documents prior to their conversion to a monochrome format. If color/gray elements are identified in the document, the distance between them and their intensity is determined. If there are elements with the same or similar intensity in close proximity to each other, colors of some of the elements may be replaced with solid monochrome colors, and/or dithered surfaces, and/or monochrome patterns. Further, the elements may be outlined. These improvements make elements in the document more distinguishable after its conversion to a monochrome format. The described color optimization and outlining may have wide applicability in the Internet Fax technology. | 01-01-2009 |
20090015871 | Line Printer - A plurality of types of positional shift postulated patterns are postulated wherein the positional shift of print head tips in a printer are postulated to have positional shift directions and distances. For each of the postulated positional shift postulated patterns, a base dithering mask is generated considering the ability to produce excellent dot dispersion characteristics when this postulated positional shift has occurred. Additionally, optimal dithering masks are generated through multiply combining the sets of threshold values that comprise the base dithering masks. Doing so enables the suppression of degradation of printed image quality, even when there are positional shifts between the print heads, in a half toning process for printing using a printer that is provided with a plurality of print heads that are arranged in a line across a printing range. | 01-15-2009 |
20090015872 | Line Printer and Half Toning Processing Method - A printer uses a dithering mask having a width that is 1/N (where N is a nonzero positive integer) times a number of pixels corresponding to the layout pitch of print head tips, so as to always have an identical positional relationship between the dithering mask and the connecting portions of the print head tips, so as to perform a half toning process and print image data. The dithering mask DM is a dithering mask that is optimized so as to be able to obtain dot dispersion characteristics that are somewhat good regardless of the positional shift patterns between the print head tips. Doing so enables the suppression of degradation of printed image quality that stems from differences in characteristics of the plurality of print heads in a line printer that performs printing using a plurality of print heads that are arrayed across a printing range. This also enables efficient half toning processing to be performed by reducing extremely the overhead in producing dithering masks that take into consideration the positional shifts between the plurality of print heads. | 01-15-2009 |
20090034006 | STOCHASTIC HALFTONE IMAGES BASED ON SCREENING PARAMETERS - A method for processing an image includes a screen generator ( | 02-05-2009 |
20090034007 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE CORRECTION METHOD - A scan line profile characteristic representing the distortion of a scan line is detected. Dot image data undergoes the screen process using a dither matrix. At this time, the quantization process is done by shifting a dither matrix element in the sub-scanning direction opposite to the direction of the scan line changing process at a scan line changing point in the scan line changing process in accordance with the profile characteristic. The image data after the screen process undergoes the scan line changing process, and the interpolation process smooths the scan line changing point. | 02-05-2009 |
20090091796 | Image forming apparatus capable of suppressing color variation due to misregistration of colors, image forming method, and computer-readable medium - An image forming apparatus performs dither processing on image data to form an image subjected to pseudo-halftone processing. The image forming apparatus includes a dither processing unit that performs dither processing on image data, and a dither pattern generation unit that generates a dither matrix for use in the dither processing, in accordance with an output gradation level. The dither matrix has a size of M×N pixels, and has a plurality of halftone dots arranged in a predetermined pattern in accordance with the output gradation level in order to represent a gradation of each color. The plurality of halftone dots are arranged in the dither matrix such that the halftone dots corresponding to at least two colors are substantially identical in color area ratio to each other in the dither matrix irrespective of a relative position with respective to the colors. | 04-09-2009 |
20090097074 | IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD THEREOF - Appropriate halftone processing is applied to respective regions without any zone segmentation of a document image formed upon mixing a photographic image, character image/line drawing, and the like. Hence, an image is input, an edge image of the image is generated, a smoothed image of the edge image is generated by smoothing processing, and lattice points having a density distribution according to the tone density distribution of the smoothed image are set. A predetermined region is partitioned into polygons, each of which surrounds one of the lattice points, and a threshold matrix used to grow a halftone dot surrounded by each polygon is generated. | 04-16-2009 |
20090185229 | Document Optimization Using Solid Monochrome Colors and Outlining - Methods of the present invention allow for optimization of color and shades of gray documents prior to their conversion to a monochrome format. If color/gray elements are identified in the document, the distance between them and their intensity is determined. If there are elements with the same or similar intensity in close proximity to each other, colors of some of the elements may be replaced with solid monochrome colors, and/or dithered surfaces, and/or monochrome patterns. Further, the elements may be outlined. These improvements make elements in the document more distinguishable after its conversion to a monochrome format. The described color optimization and outlining may have wide applicability in the Internet Fax technology. | 07-23-2009 |
20100053686 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM - An image forming apparatus comprises an image data generating unit configured to convert a tone of an input value which indicates a density of a pixel by using a predetermined dither matrix and generate image data. The image forming apparatus further comprises a drive source and a gear configured to transmit a drive force from the drive source to an image carrier. The dither matrix includes a plurality of sub-matrixes arranged in a predetermined rule and a dot in each of the plurality of the sub-matrixes grows from a corresponding original point. The image forming apparatus satisfies a relation of (1) a≧0.08 mm and b/a<0.80, or (2) a<0.08 mm and b/a>1.27, where “a” is a travel distance of a printing medium per tooth of the gear in a secondary scanning direction orthogonal to the primary scanning direction, and “b” is a distance between the corresponding original points of a pair of the dots formed on the printing medium apart from each other in the secondary scanning direction on the basis of a pair of the sub-matrixes adjacent to each other in the primary scanning direction in the dither matrix. | 03-04-2010 |
20100060938 | Image forming apparatus, density-shift correction method, and computer program product - A density detector detects a first density of a first pattern and a second density of a second pattern from a density-correction determination patch. A density-correction-value calculator calculates a density correction value from the first and the second densities. A noise-occurrence determination unit determines whether a target pixel is a noise generating pixel that causes a change of a local density due to a change in a relation with a nearby pixel. A density correction processor performs a density correction process on the target pixel by adding or subtracting the density correction value to or from the target pixel or the nearby pixel. | 03-11-2010 |
20100103467 | IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD - In a halftone image after halftone processing, significant dot values within a reference window that encompasses a pixel of interest are accumulated, and by referring to a conversion table based on the accumulated values, a multilevel pixel value that corresponds to that pixel of interest is restored. At this time, the size of the reference window is determined such that a product of a bit depth in the halftone processing and the number of pixels within the reference window becomes a minimum value that exceeds the number of tones in a multilevel image after restoration. | 04-29-2010 |
20100165410 | Document Optimization Using Solid Monochrome Colors and Outlining - Methods of the present invention allow for optimization of color and shades of gray documents prior to their conversion to a monochrome format. If color/gray elements are identified in the document, the distance between them and their intensity is determined. If there are elements with the same or similar intensity in close proximity to each other, colors of some of the elements may be replaced with solid monochrome colors, and/or dithered surfaces, and/or monochrome patterns. Further, the elements may be outlined. These improvements make elements in the document more distinguishable after its conversion to a monochrome format. The described color optimization and outlining may have wide applicability in the Internet Fax technology. | 07-01-2010 |
20100165411 | Document Optimization Using Solid Monochrome Colors and Outlining - Methods of the present invention allow for optimization of color and shades of gray documents prior to their conversion to a monochrome format. If color/gray elements are identified in the document, the distance between them and their intensity is determined. If there are elements with the same or similar intensity in close proximity to each other, colors of some of the elements may be replaced with solid monochrome colors, and/or dithered surfaces, and/or monochrome patterns. Further, the elements may be outlined. These improvements make elements in the document more distinguishable after its conversion to a monochrome format. The described color optimization and outlining may have wide applicability in the Internet Fax technology. | 07-01-2010 |
20110058224 | COLOR PROCESSOR, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, COLOR PROCESSING METHOD AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM - A color processor includes: an acquisition unit that acquires first and second multi-valued color signals respectively indicating in a multi-valued manner quantities of first and second color materials used for reproducing color with a specific hue, the second color material having a different density from the first color material; a generation unit that generates first and second binary color signals by performing dither processing, respectively with first and second dither matrices, for the first and second multi-valued color signals acquired by the acquisition unit, the second dither matrix having the same angle and the same number of lines as the first dither matrix and being used for forming halftone dots at positions different from positions of halftone dots formed by use of the first dither matrix; and an output unit that outputs to a print mechanism the first and second binary color signals generated by the generation unit. | 03-10-2011 |
20110109942 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING METHOD FOR CORRECTING REGISTRATION DEVIATION - Since a less-than-one-pixel-basis correction and a one-pixel-basis correction are constantly performed on an image after halftoning, unevenness in density disadvantageously occur depending on a halftoning method. According to the halftoning method, whether the less-than-one-pixel-basis correction is performed on a continuous tone image or the one-pixel-basis correction is performed on a halftone image is switched. The one-pixel-basis correction is constantly performed on the halftone image. | 05-12-2011 |
20110141528 | Image processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, and image processing method - An image processing apparatus includes: a color information acquiring unit that acquires color information of each scanning line of each head in a main scanning direction; and a correction unit that corrects a parameter used for a halftone process of a scanning line in the main scanning direction and a parameter used for a halftone process of an adjacent line adjacent to the scanning line, and, based on the acquired color information, corrects a difference in colors of the scanning line and the adjacent line. | 06-16-2011 |
20110164286 | METHOD OF PRINTING DITHERED IMAGES - A method of printing a dithered image is provided which includes retrieving a planarized linear image from a memory, interpolating, with a processor, the resolution of said retrieved planarized linear image to an intermediate resolution in dependence of the color planes of said retrieved planarized linear image, interpolating, with the processor, the intermediate resolution to a print resolution, producing, with the processor, a dithered image in real-time from said interpolated image at the print resolution, and printing the dithered image using a printhead. | 07-07-2011 |
20120120454 | IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT CAPABLE OF MINIMIZING CROSS-LINKAGE BETWEEN LINE SCREENS - An image processing apparatus comprises a dither processing device that applies dither processing to input image data to express halftone using line screens by increasing an area rate of the input image data and a controller that decreases the number of line screens and maintains a prescribed dropout width between the neighboring line screens when the area rate of the input image data increases and the dropout width falls below a prescribed level. | 05-17-2012 |
20120162719 | IMAGE PROCESSING IN CONTONE SPACE AND HALFTONE SPACE - Embodiments provide a method comprising receiving a halftone image, the halftone image comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel of the plurality of pixels including pixel data associated with a plurality of color planes; forming a pixel group, the pixel group including (i) a target pixel and (ii) one or more pixels that are neighboring to the target pixel; generating a pixel window for the pixel group; comparing the pixel window with a plurality of candidate patterns; determining that the pixel window matches with at least one of the plurality of candidate patterns; and based on determining that the pixel window matches with at least one of the plurality of candidate patterns, performing an image processing operation on the pixel group. | 06-28-2012 |
20120170079 | Detection Of UTF-16 Encoding In Streaming XML Data Without A Byte-Order Mark And Related Printers, Systems, Methods, And Computer Program Products - Provided are printers and other electronic devices, systems, methods, and computer program products that automatically detect and determine UTF-16 encoding schemes and endiannesss thereof in an incoming XML data steam for XML declarations without a UTF-16 byte-order mark (BOM) or encoding declaration. This allows for the automatic and unambiguous accurate detection of UTF-16 encoded XML data within a mixed encoding environment, such as from multiple sources using more than one encoding scheme, even when XML data does not start with a BOM or encoding declaration. | 07-05-2012 |
20120229866 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE DENSITY DETECTING METHOD - An image forming apparatus performs pseudo gradation processing using dithering, and includes an image carrier; a plurality of light-emitting element arrays arranged in a main-scanning direction and including a plurality of light-emitting elements; an image forming unit performing lighting control of the arrays and forming a pattern image on the image carrier; a detecting unit detecting a density of the pattern image; a position detecting unit detecting a position in the main-scanning direction of the detecting unit with respect to the light-emitting element arrays; a determining unit that, based on the detected position, determines whether the detecting unit is positioned at a proper detection position with respect to the pattern image on which noise has no effect; and an operation control unit that, when the detecting unit is positioned at the proper detection position, performs an image density detection operation on the pattern image using the detecting unit. | 09-13-2012 |
20120243052 | PRINTING APPARATUS, PRINTING METHOD, PRINTING DATA GENERATION PROGRAM, AND DITHER MASK GENERATION METHOD - A printing apparatus which forms dots, according to dot data generated through comparison of a grayscale value of each of pixels with each of threshold values of a dither mask. The printing apparatus forms the dots through division into a plurality of pixel groups having different printing conditions and performs at least a part of the dot formation by the pixel groups in a common region. The dither mask has a second threshold value disposition, with respect to a first threshold value disposition which is each of dispositions of the respective threshold values set such that distribution of dots formed in the common region has noise characteristics having a peak on a high frequency side, in a case where a relative position of the dots between the pixel groups is formed in a target positional relationship which is a target in at least a part of a printing grayscale region. | 09-27-2012 |
20120250096 | IMAGE PROCESSOR - An image processor includes a tone converter operable when a pixel of input image data is determined as having a value greater in color saturation than a prescribed saturation value. In this operation, the tone converter changes a threshold for each color in a dither matrix associated with the pixel to make the thresholds different in correspondence to color component values of the pixel. The tone converter generates color component values of the pixel constituting image data to be output, based on comparisons between the respective color component values and the changed thresholds. | 10-04-2012 |
20120268796 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, METHOD OF CONTROLLING DRAWING PROCESSING, AND RECORDING MEDIUM STORING DRAWING PROCESSING CONTROL PROGRAM - An image forming apparatus provided with a first drawing processor and a second drawing processor, includes a converter to convert a data format of drawing processing data from a data format suitable for the first drawing processor to a data format suitable for the second drawing processor, and a process allocator to control drawing processing based on a processing load on the converter. | 10-25-2012 |
20120287477 | IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND PROCESSING METHOD OF THE IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS - First intermediate data is generated from print data and character edge data serving as second intermediate data is generated by extracting edge sections of a character from the print data. A rendering process is applied to the first intermediate data and a dither matrix with a first number of lines is used to apply a pseudo halftone formation process to data after the rendering process to generate a first pseudo-halftone image. A rendering process is applied to the second intermediate data and a dither matrix with a second number of lines greater than the first number of lines is used to apply a pseudo halftone formation process to data after the rendering process to generate a second pseudo-halftone image. A pseudo-halftone image obtained by an OR operation of the first pseudo-halftone image and the second pseudo-halftone image is output. | 11-15-2012 |
20130027753 | DITHER MATRIX CREATING DEVICE - A dither matrix creating device acquires a basic dither matrix and modifies the basic dither matrix to provide a modified dither matrix including a plurality of sets of threshold value. Each threshold value set includes N threshold values (N≧2. An image processing device can perform both dither method and error diffusion method for converting an input image into an output image. Each pixel of the output image has an (N+1)-level output value. The modifying unit modifies the basic dither matrix by adjusting at least one of N threshold values such that the image processing device can produce a first output image by using the modified dither matrix according to the dither method. The first output image is more similar to an output image produced based on the input image according to the error diffusion method than an output image to be produced by using the basic dither matrix. | 01-31-2013 |
20130107325 | DYNAMIC IMAGE DITHERING | 05-02-2013 |
20130208322 | CONTROL DEVICE CAPABLE OF GENERATING BINARY IMAGE DATA EXPRESSING SUITABLE GRADATION LEVELS - A control device includes a first dither matrix having threshold values assigned to a plurality of cells. The control device converts image data into binary data by using the first dither matrix. The control device converts an input value into ON-pixel or OFF-pixel based on the threshold value. The threshold values in the first dither matrix are arranged such that the ON-pixels grow from a first group of ON-pixels to a second group of ON-pixels as the input value increases. The first group corresponds to cells arranged in M rows and N columns. The second group corresponds to cells arranged in (M+1) rows and (N+1) columns. The second group consists of the first group and a third group corresponding to (M+N+1) number of cells. At least two of the (M+N+1) number of cells are adjacent to each other and have same threshold values. | 08-15-2013 |
20130250364 | IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD - 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. | 09-26-2013 |
20130286441 | IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE AND IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD - There is provided an image processing device which converts multi-gradation pixels configuring a multi-gradation image of image data to be used in a color image forming apparatus, into unit dither patterns. The image forming apparatus includes photosensitive members on which developer images are formed by supplying developer to electrostatic latent images, and an exposure device which exposes the photosensitive members. The developer images on the photosensitive members are transferred to a transferred medium which is moved while contacting the photosensitive members. The image processing device includes a processing unit which converts a multi-gradation pixel of a first color into unit dither patterns, each unit dither pattern consisting of a first line extending in a predetermined direction and a second line extending in a direction intersecting with the first line when a gradation value of the multi-gradation pixel is within a predetermined range. | 10-31-2013 |
20140211266 | ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE OUTPUT DEVICE - An electrophotographic image output device includes an image processor to receive input image data, and a line screen to represent halftone images and have multiple screen angles respectively allocated to different colors including yellow, magenta, and cyan. The line screen satisfies requirements of (A) a predetermined difference is secured between adjacent two of the multiple screen angles; (B) zero is not allocated to any of the multiple screen angles; and (C) among the multiple screen angles determined by the requirements (A) and (B), a screen angle closest to 90 degrees is allocated to yellow among yellow, magenta, and cyan. | 07-31-2014 |
20140233069 | Method and System for Halftoning Using Energy Minimization - A method is disclosed. The method includes generating a set of points via energy minimization to implement halftone seed pattern. | 08-21-2014 |
20140300934 | METHOD FOR PERFORMING DITHER PROCESSING - In a case where dither processing is performed as image forming processing, a reference position of a dither matrix to be used is changed in units of predetermined printing execution. Such a change prevents continuous lighting of a light emitting element and fixation of a lighting position, and suppresses speed of deterioration in the light emitting element with time. | 10-09-2014 |
20160057315 | COLOR IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE - A color image processing device uses a dither pattern of blocks, each including a plurality of dots representing the gradations of each pixel of an image in a prescribed print region. The dots including one block are arranged in a growth sequence in the ascending order of gradation, and print data is written sequentially at the dots the number of which corresponds to the gradation associated with the block. An extracting unit extracts a data region holding the color components from the print data. A dither processing unit generates dither patterns for the color components extracted by the extracting unit. The dither processing unit detects whether one or more of the dots including each of the pixels forming the image are outside the data region, and moves any dot outside the data region to a certain dot including the same pixel and existing in the data region. | 02-25-2016 |
20160165094 | IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT - An image processing device includes: a first gradation-process determining unit that determines a type of gradation process for a process-color toner plate in accordance with halftone mode information; a second gradation-process determining unit that determines a type of gradation process for a special toner plate other than a process color in accordance with the type of gradation process determined by the first gradation-process determining unit; and a halftone processing unit that performs halftone processes in accordance with the types of gradation processes that are determined by the first gradation-process determining unit and the second gradation-process determining unit. | 06-09-2016 |
20160173724 | PRINTING APPARATUS, PRINTING METHOD, PROGRAM, AND IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS | 06-16-2016 |
20160191747 | IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE, METHOD AND INKJET RECORDING DEVICE - 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. | 06-30-2016 |
358300140 | Adaptive dithering | 11 |
20080231904 | Image Processing Method, Printer Driver, Image Processing Apparatus, Image Forming Apparatus and Image Forming System - An image processing method processes image data to be output to an image forming apparatus that is capable of making a two-way recording to form an image on a recording medium by recording in a forward path and a return path of a scan by an ink-jet recording head. The image processing method includes a halftone process that is based on an inclined line-group keytone and maintains keytone continuity, including a dither process in which the inclined line-group keytone appears at a stage where the recording in the forward path is made. | 09-25-2008 |
20090316214 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, PROGRAM - An image forming apparatus includes a storage unit configured to store a divisor matrix including at least two kinds of divisor values, and a changing unit configured to change M (M>N) gradation image data into N (N>3) gradation image data, wherein the changing unit is configured to divide a pixel value of a target pixel of the M gradation image data by a divisor value corresponding to a pixel position of the target pixel to change the M gradation image data into the N-gradation image data. | 12-24-2009 |
20100171989 | Halftone Mechanism - A printing system is disclosed. The printing system includes an image processor to rasterize a received print job and to perform a halftone by comparing a first threshold value from a threshold matrix to a first image component sample, comparing the first threshold value to a first number of sequential image component samples neighboring the first sample if the first threshold value is less than the first sample and comparing the first threshold value to a second number of sequential image component samples neighboring the first sample if the first threshold value is greater than or equal to the first sample. | 07-08-2010 |
20110032574 | Image output system for outputting image based on information of number of dots to be formed in predetermined area - The image output system of the invention collects a preset number of adjacent pixels to one pixel group to divide a number of pixels constituting an image into multiple pixel groups and specifies a pixel group tone value as a representative tone value of each pixel group. The image output system refers to a conversion table to generate dot number data of each pixel group. The conversion table stores dot number data, which represents number of dots to be created in one pixel group, in relation to a combination of a pixel group classification number allocated to each pixel group and the specified pixel group tone value of the pixel group. The image output system then refers to a priority order of pixels representing potentials of dot creation in respective pixels of one pixel group, determines the positions of dot-on pixels in each pixel group according to the generated dot number data of the pixel group, and actually creates dots according to the determined positions of the dot-on pixels. The dot number data does not include information on the positions of the dot-on pixels and has a small data volume, thus enabling high-speed data transfer. The dot number data is readily obtained by simply referring to the conversion table. This leads to high-speed output of high-quality image data. The technique of the invention thus enables easy and high-speed output of a high-quality image. | 02-10-2011 |
20110090538 | IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD - 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. | 04-21-2011 |
20130258414 | IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF - An image processing apparatus for generating a dot pattern by halftone processing using a plurality of threshold matrices, the apparatus comprising a first tone group including at least a pair of discontinuous tone levels, and a second tone group including tone levels different from the tone levels included in the first tone group, wherein, in each of the first tone group and the second tone group, a dot pattern representing each tone level includes all the dots representing brighter tone level. | 10-03-2013 |
20140139885 | DITHER PATTERN FORMING METHOD AND DITHER PATTERN - In order to print a unit area of a print medium by a first printing scan and a second printing scan, dither patterns are formed which can control the arrangement of dots on the print medium without adverse effects of density unevenness and graininess, that are caused by printing position displacement. Regarding first and second dither patterns, information indicating whether or not a threshold is already set to a reference pixel and one or more pixels around the reference pixel in the first dither pattern is obtained for cases where each pixel in the first dither pattern is the reference pixel. A pixel in the second dither pattern to which a predetermined pixel is to be set is determined based on the obtained information. The first and second dither patterns formed in the above manner are associated with the first printing scan and the second printing scan, respectively. | 05-22-2014 |
20150371123 | IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD AND PROGRAM - An image processing apparatus includes a target value calculation unit configured to calculate a target value to be output in a predetermined region in input image data based on pixel values of pixels included in the region, a distribution order determination unit configured to determine a distribution order of output values for distributing output values corresponding to the target value in the region based on a pixel value of each pixel included in the region and a threshold value in the threshold matrix corresponding to the pixel, and an output value determination unit configured to determine an output value of each pixel included in the region by allocating the target value to at least one pixel included in the region in the distribution order. | 12-24-2015 |
20160034794 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CREATING DITHER PATTERNS - An aspect of the invention provides an image forming apparatus storing first, second, and third dither pattern groups. The first group contains a plurality of line screens, each associated with one of gray levels in a first range, varying such that as the gray level increases, the line width increases. The second group contains a plurality of void-dot screens, each associated with one of gray levels higher than those in the first range, varying such that as the gray level increases, dots increase to reduce void portions surrounded by the dots. The third group contains, for switching from the line screen to the void-dot screen, a plurality of dither patterns varying such that as the gray level increases from a reference gray level, adjacent lines are connected at joint portions tapered toward tip ends in a manner that a position that gradually advances from the tip ends to basal ends. | 02-04-2016 |
358300150 | Edge adaptive | 2 |
20090021792 | IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND IMAGE QUALITY ENHANCEMENT METHOD THEREOF - An image forming apparatus provides enhancement of image quality. The image forming apparatus includes a window generating unit to generate a main window of a predetermined size using a Lines Per Inch (LPI) and an angle of a dithering mask, and to generate a plurality of subwindows within the generated main window, a determining unit to determine the presence of an edge area by applying the plurality of generated subwindows to a binary image and according to pixel values of the binary image that correspond to the subwindows, and a control unit to determine a dot size of a central reference pixel at the center of the main window, according to the presence and absence of the edge area. Because image quality is enhanced adaptively according to edge and smooth areas, print quality improves. | 01-22-2009 |
20150092244 | IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE SETTING BINARY VALUE WITHOUT USING DITHER MATRIX WHEN PRESCRIBED CONDITION IS SATISFIED - An image processing device includes a controller. The controller specifies an edge pixel based on image data, and sets a target pixel and a reference pixel from among a plurality of pixels. The target pixel is located between the edge pixel and the reference pixel. The controller determines whether a determination condition is satisfied for the target pixel. The determination condition indicates that a pixel value of the edge pixel, a pixel value of the target pixel, and a pixel value of the reference pixel monotonically increase in said order. The controller sets a binary value of the target pixel to a first value without using a dither matrix when the determination condition is satisfied, and sets the binary value of the target pixel to one of the first value and a second value by using the dither matrix when the determination condition is not satisfied. | 04-02-2015 |
358300160 | Ordered dithering (e.g., deterministic or systematic) | 3 |
20080278765 | Method for Processing Fm-Am Mixed Halftone Images on a Multi-Bit Depth Imaging Apparatus - Disclosed is a method for processing FM-AM mixed halftone images on a multi-bit depth imaging apparatus, which relates to a method for producing halftone dots in the field of image hard copying. In the prior art, since it is hard to avoid the impact of the error diffusion for the output apparatus to control the mixed dots with multi-bit imaging depth based on the error diffusion, the output of the mixed dots with multi-bit imaging depth cannot satisfy requirements of the apparatus. According to the method of the present invention, the dynamic algorithm for controlling the multi-bit mixed dots is used for screening based on the existing mixed screening process using dual-feedback error diffusion. Furthermore, multi-bit halftone images with high quality and rich gradations can be output by the multi-bit depth imaging apparatus. The method of the present invention can solve the phenomenon of sawtooth in the margins of the mixed dots output by the conventional single-bit apparatus and obtain the FM-AM mixed dots with the effect of high resolution and continuous gradations, which are output under low resolution. | 11-13-2008 |
20150077809 | IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT - An image processing apparatus includes a dithering unit that retains a dithering table; a gray-scale value input unit that inputs, to the dithering unit, a gray-scale value of each pixel constituting image data of a predetermined color; and a pass information input unit that inputs, to the dithering unit, pass information indicating whether printing is a first pass to perform printing on a recording medium yet to be printed or a second pass to perform reprinting on the same surface of the recording medium already subjected to printing. The dithering unit performs dithering on each pixel based on the dithering table, the gray-scale value, and the pass information. | 03-19-2015 |
358300170 | Clustered pattern | 1 |
20160196481 | IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME | 07-07-2016 |
358300190 | Stochastic or random dithering | 3 |
20090034008 | METHOD FOR GENERATING STOCHASTIC DITHER MATRIX - A method for generating a stochastic halftone screen ( | 02-05-2009 |
20110279872 | Image Processing Method and Apparatus - An image processing method includes: generating a stochastic screening dither matrix (S | 11-17-2011 |
20150302286 | PRINTING AN IMAGE ON A SUBSTRATE - Printing a screened image includes a computer for converting a contone image to a digital image. A digital front end provides a screening tile, a dither magnitude curve, a spot function for each of the cells in the screening tile and a displacement vector for each of the cells. The digital front end displaces the center of each cell spot function and constructs a halftone image from the contone image and the screening tile by comparing value of each pixel from the contone image to a corresponding threshold value from the screening tile. If the pixel value exceeds the threshold value set a corresponding pixel in the halftone image to one otherwise set the corresponding pixel in the halftone image to zero. An imaging system prints the halftone image on a substrate. | 10-22-2015 |