Image processing method, image processing device and image forming system

• US 20060075918A1
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kato, Minako, Nagoshi, Shigeyasu
• Granted Patent: US 7,817,303 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 101/484
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17509 Whilst mounted in the printer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure

Abstract

This invention provides an image processing device and a printing apparatus that obviate the need for manual processing on the part of the user or operator and which can automatically perform an optimum image correction without using added information such as photographing information. For this purpose, this invention including: a highly chromatic color area detection unit to detect highly chromatic color area in an original image according to the input color image data; a concentration calculation unit to calculate a concentration level of the highly chromatic color area; and a print data generation unit to generate output color image data according to the concentration level of the highly chromatic color area.

Claims

1. An image processing device comprising:

highly chromatic color area detection means for detecting highly chromatic color area in an original image according to the input color image data;

concentration calculation means for calculating a concentration level of the highly chromatic color area; and

output image data generation means for generating output color image data according to the concentration level of the highly chromatic color area.

2. An image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the output image data generation means changes an image processing parameter according to the concentration level of the highly chromatic color area, the image processing parameter being adapted to generate output color image data.

3. An image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the output image data generation means corrects the input color image data according to the concentration level of the highly chromatic color area.

4. An image processing device according to claim 2, wherein the image processing parameter is luminance and/or chroma.

5. An image processing device according to any one of claim 1 to 4, wherein the highly chromatic color area detection means has area dividing means for dividing image data into a plurality of pixel groups each comprising a plurality of pixels, and pixel group extraction means for extracting highly chromatic pixel groups with a chroma higher than a predetermined value;

wherein the concentration calculation means has highly chromatic color area extraction means for extracting a highly chromatic color area in which the highly chromatic pixel groups extracted by the pixel group extraction means adjoin each other, and calculation means for calculating, as a concentration level of the highly chromatic color area, a percentage in the image of the highly chromatic color area extracted by the highly chromatic color area extraction means.

6. An image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the output image data generation means converts an input image signal of RGB color system into an output image signal of CMY color system.

7. An image processing method comprising:

a highly chromatic color area detection step to detect highly chromatic color area in the color image data;

a concentration calculation step to calculate a concentration level of the highly chromatic color area; and

an image data generation step to generate output color image data according to the concentration level of the highly chromatic color area.

8. An image forming system having image processing means for performing image processing to input color image data, and image forming means for forming an image based on an output image signal generated by the image processing means, the image forming system comprising:

highly chromatic color area detection means for detecting highly chromatic color area in the color image data;

concentration calculation means for calculating a concentration level of the highly chromatic color area; and

image data generation means for generating output color image data according to the concentration level of the highly chromatic color area.

9. An image processing program causing a computer to execute:

a highly chromatic color area detection step to detect highly chromatic color area in an original image based on the input color image data;

a concentration calculation step to calculate a concentration level of the highly chromatic color area; and

an output image data generation step to generate output color image data according to the concentration level of the highly chromatic color area.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing an image processing program to perform image processing to a input color image data, the storage medium causing a computer to execute:

a highly chromatic color area detection step to detect highly chromatic color area in an original image based on the input color image data;

a concentration calculation step to calculate a concentration level of the highly chromatic color area; and

an output image data generation step to generate output color image data according to the concentration level of the highly chromatic color area.