Information processing device, information processing method, and computer-readable recording medium

• US 10,460,217 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2018
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Sagimori, Yuuki, Watanabe, Akiho
• Primary Examiner(s): Cruz, Iriana
• Application Number:
  US15/921,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20180268269A1
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/01 for producing multicoloured copies colour correction in photography G03C; colour correction in printing plate production
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5054 by measuring the characteristics of an intermediate image carrying member or the characteristics of an image on an intermediate image carrying member, e.g. intermediate transfer belt or drum, conveyor belt
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5062 by measuring the characteristics of an image on the copy material
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6585 by using non-standard toners, e.g. transparent toner, gloss adding devices
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00063 Colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/027 Test patterns and calibration arrangements for controlling or analysing printing mechanisms of typewriters or selective printing units B41J29/393 takes precedence; colour correction using test pattern analysis in general H04N1/6033
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1878 Adjusting colours image colour correction or control for documents in general H04N1/60
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1881 Halftoning halftoning of still images in general H04N1/405, H04N1/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2215/0094 Colour printing

Abstract

A specification part of an information processing device specifies, by using image data for a correction chart defining a plurality of patch regions having different color values, a target characteristic indicating a relation between the color value and a first colorimetric value of a first patch image as a laminated image of a special color image and a colored image that correspond to each of the patch regions formed by the device through the 2-path printing. A generation part of the device generates a correction table for correcting the color value so that a measured characteristic comes close to the target characteristic, the measured characteristic indicating a relation between the color value and a second colorimetric value of a second patch image as the laminated image corresponding to each of the patch regions formed by the device through the 1-path printing using the image data for a correction chart.

Claims

1. An information processing device configured to control an image forming part that forms a laminated image of a special color image using a special color material and a colored image using a colored color material through 2-path printing in which one of the special color image and the colored image is formed on a medium to be immobilized and the other one is laminated thereon, or 1-path printing in which one of the special color image and the colored image is formed on a medium and the other one is laminated thereon without performing immobilization, the information processing device comprising:

a specification part configured to specify, by using image data for a correction chart defining a plurality of patch regions having different color values, a target characteristic indicating a relation between the color value and a first colorimetric value of a first patch image as the laminated image corresponding to each of the patch regions formed by the image forming part through the 2-path printing; and

a generation part configured to generate a correction table for correcting the color value so that a measured characteristic comes close to the target characteristic, the measured characteristic indicating a relation between the color value and a second colorimetric value of a second patch image as the laminated image corresponding to each of the patch regions formed by the image forming part through the 1-path printing using the image data for a correction chart.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein

the generation part generates the correction table in which the color value in the target characteristic is set to be an input color value and the color value in the measured characteristic corresponding to the second colorimetric value indicating the first colorimetric value in the target characteristic is set to be an output color value.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an acquisition part configured to acquire special color type information indicating a type of the special color material used for image formation; and

a determination part configured to determine the image data for a correction chart corresponding to the special color type information, wherein

the specification part determines the target characteristic using the determined image data for a correction chart, and

the generation part generates the correction table using the determined image data for a correction chart.

4. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein

the determination part determines the image data for a correction chart defining the patch region in which the special color region and the colored region are laminated with the color value including a special color value and a colored color value, the image data for a correction chart including image data for a special color correction chart defining the special color value of the special color region using the special color material of the type indicated by the special color type information and image data for a colored correction chart defining the colored color value of the colored region using the colored color material.

5. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein

the image forming part is configured to be able to switch a laminating order of the colored image and the special color image with respect to a medium,

the acquisition part acquires laminating order information indicating the laminating order from the image forming part,

the specification part specifies, by using the determined image data for a correction chart, the target characteristic indicating a relation between the color value and the first colorimetric value of the first patch image that is formed on a medium through the 2-path printing by the image forming part in the laminating order indicated by the acquired laminating order information using the special color material of the type indicated by the acquired special color type information, and

the generation part generates the correction table so that a measured characteristic is matched with the target characteristic using the determined image data for a correction chart, the measured characteristic indicating a relation between the color value and the second colorimetric value of the second patch image formed on a medium through the 1-path printing by the image forming part in the acquired laminating order with the special color material of the type indicated by the acquired special color type information.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a correction part configured to correct a color value of image data as a formation target using the correction table; and

a transmission part configured to transmit the corrected image data to the image forming part.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein

the special color material is a color material indicating any of a metal color, white, a transparent color, and a fluorescent color.

8. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a rectification part configured to rectify an output color value in a rectification range from a predetermined rectification color value to a maximum color value in the correction table to be the output color value that monotonically increases.

9. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein

the rectification part comprises:

a color value specification part configured to specify an input color value corresponding to the output color value indicating the rectification color value in the correction table;

a characteristic generation part configured to interpolate between a first point indicating a colorimetric value at the time when an image of the rectification color value is formed on a medium through the 1-path printing by the image forming part in the target characteristic and a second point indicating a maximum color value in the measured characteristic to generate a rectification characteristic indicating a relation between the colorimetric value and the color value; and

a color value rectification part configured to rectify the output color value in the rectification range in the correction table to be the color value corresponding to the second colorimetric value indicating the calorimetric value in the rectification characteristic in the measured characteristic.

10. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein

the rectification color value is smaller than the color value in the target characteristic corresponding to the first calorimetric value indicating the second colorimetric value of a maximum color value in the measured characteristic.

11. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein

the rectification color value is a color value obtained by subtracting a difference between the color value and the maximum color value in the measured characteristic from the color value in the target characteristic corresponding to the first colorimetric value indicating the second colorimetric value of the maximum color value in the measured characteristic.

12. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein

the rectification color value becomes smaller as a difference between the first colorimetric value corresponding to the maximum color value in the target characteristic and the second colorimetric value corresponding to the maximum color value in the measured characteristic becomes larger.

13. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein

the rectification color value becomes smaller as brightness of an image as a formation target becomes lower.

14. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein

the rectification part rectifies the correction table for each color of the color material using the rectification color value corresponding to the color of the color material used for image formation.

15. The information processing device according claim 8, wherein

the rectification part rectifies the correction table using the rectification color value corresponding to a medium as an image formation target.

16. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein

the information processing device controls the image forming part that laminates a plurality of images to be primarily transferred onto a transfer member and secondarily transfers a laminate of the images onto a medium, and

the rectification part rectifies the correction table for each color in a transfer order onto the transfer member using the rectification color value that is smaller than a reference value as the transfer order is earlier.

17. The information processing device according to claim 8, wherein

when the predetermined rectification color value is equal to or larger than the color value in the target characteristic corresponding to the first colorimetric value indicating the second colorimetric value of the maximum color value in the measured characteristic, the rectification part updates the rectification color value to be smaller than the color value, and rectifies the correction table using the updated rectification color value.

18. An information processing method for controlling an image forming part that forms a laminated image of a special color image using a special color material and a colored image using a colored color material through 2-path printing in which one of the special color image and the colored image is formed on a medium to be immobilized and the other one is laminated thereon, or 1-path printing in which one of the special color image and the colored image is formed on a medium and the other one is laminated thereon without performing immobilization, the information processing method comprising:

specifying, by using image data for a correction chart defining a plurality of patch regions having different color values, a target characteristic indicating a relation between the color value and a first colorimetric value of a first patch image as the laminated image corresponding to each of the patch regions formed by the image forming part through the 2-path printing; and

generating a correction table for correcting the color value so that a measured characteristic comes close to the target characteristic, the measured characteristic indicating a relation between the color value and a second colorimetric value of a second patch image as the laminated image corresponding to each of the patch regions formed by the image forming part through the 1-path printing using the image data for a correction chart.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that contains an information processing program to be executed by a computer that controls an image forming part that forms a laminated image of a special color image using a special color material and a colored image using a colored color material through 2-path printing in which one of the special color image and the colored image is formed on a medium to be immobilized and the other one is laminated thereon, or 1-path printing in which one of the special color image and the colored image is formed on a medium and the other one is laminated thereon without performing immobilization, the information processing program causing the computer to execute:

specifying, by using image data for a correction chart defining a plurality of patch regions having different color values, a target characteristic indicating a relation between the color value and a first colorimetric value of a first patch image as the laminated image corresponding to each of the patch regions formed by the image forming part through the 2-path printing; and

generating a correction table for correcting the color value so that a measured characteristic comes close to the target characteristic, the measured characteristic indicating a relation between the color value and a second colorimetric value of a second patch image as the laminated image corresponding to each of the patch regions formed by the image forming part through the 1-path printing using the image data for a correction chart.