IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE, PRINTING DEVICE, SEARCH DEVICE, AND IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD
First Claim
1. An image processing device of determining an arrangement of dots, based on a dither matrix having a record of threshold values used for determining a dot formation state in each of pixels constituting image data according to a tone value of the pixel,the image processing device comprising:
- an encoding table generation module configured to divide the dither matrix into multiple blocks, each including a preset number of plural threshold values, and sequentially compare each tone value with threshold values included in each block in an allowable range of the tone value in an ascending order, so as to generate an encoding table of recording a correlation of an encoded value representing an arrangement of dots in one block to a representative tone value;
an image data input module configured to input image data;
a block position identification module configured to identify a block position in the dither matrix corresponding to each pixel, based on a position of the pixel in the input image data and positions of the respective blocks in the dither matrix;
a table data input module configured to input a tone value of each pixel as a comparison target value and input a numeric sequence of multiple representative tone values correlated to a block position identified corresponding to the pixel from the encoding table;
a comparison module configured to compare the comparison target value of each pixel with a medium value of the numeric sequence correlated to the identified block position and repeat comparison between the comparison target value with a successively specified medium value of the numeric sequence while sequentially halving the number of the representative tone values included in the numeric sequence on a boundary of the medium value;
an encoding module configured to specify an encoded value of each pixel according to a result of the repeated comparisons; and
a decoding module configured to determine an arrangement of dots to be formed in a block corresponding to the position of each pixel, based on the specified encoded value of the pixel and the identified block position.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A circuit structure has multiple comparator circuits connected in series. Each comparator circuit compares an input tone value with a medium value of table data input from a preceding comparator circuit. When the tone value is greater than the medium value, the comparator circuit selects table data of greater than the medium value and outputs the selected table data to a subsequent comparator circuit. In this state, the comparator circuit outputs a value ‘1’ as a resulting bit representing a result of the comparison. When the tone value is not greater than the medium value, on the other hand, the comparator circuit selects table data of not greater than the medium value and outputs the selected table data to the subsequent comparator circuit. In this state, the comparator circuit outputs a value ‘0’ as the resulting bit. The circuit structure arrays the resulting bits output from the respective comparator circuits in an output order from its upper bit position and outputs the array of the resulting bits.
20 Citations
11 Claims
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1. An image processing device of determining an arrangement of dots, based on a dither matrix having a record of threshold values used for determining a dot formation state in each of pixels constituting image data according to a tone value of the pixel,
the image processing device comprising: -
an encoding table generation module configured to divide the dither matrix into multiple blocks, each including a preset number of plural threshold values, and sequentially compare each tone value with threshold values included in each block in an allowable range of the tone value in an ascending order, so as to generate an encoding table of recording a correlation of an encoded value representing an arrangement of dots in one block to a representative tone value; an image data input module configured to input image data; a block position identification module configured to identify a block position in the dither matrix corresponding to each pixel, based on a position of the pixel in the input image data and positions of the respective blocks in the dither matrix; a table data input module configured to input a tone value of each pixel as a comparison target value and input a numeric sequence of multiple representative tone values correlated to a block position identified corresponding to the pixel from the encoding table; a comparison module configured to compare the comparison target value of each pixel with a medium value of the numeric sequence correlated to the identified block position and repeat comparison between the comparison target value with a successively specified medium value of the numeric sequence while sequentially halving the number of the representative tone values included in the numeric sequence on a boundary of the medium value; an encoding module configured to specify an encoded value of each pixel according to a result of the repeated comparisons; and a decoding module configured to determine an arrangement of dots to be formed in a block corresponding to the position of each pixel, based on the specified encoded value of the pixel and the identified block position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A search device of comparing a numeric sequence of 2̂
- n numeric values arranged in an ascending order with a comparison target value as an object of comparison and searching for an ordinal number of a minimum numeric value out of numeric values of equal to or greater than the comparison target value in the numeric sequence,
the search device comprising; an input module configured to input the numeric sequence and the comparison target value; a comparator configured to compare the comparison target value with a medium value of the numeric sequence and output a value ‘
1’
as a resulting bit representing a result of the comparison when the comparison target value is greater than the medium value while outputting a value ‘
0’
as the resulting bit when the comparison target value is not greater than the medium value;a selector configured to, in response to the resulting bit equal to ‘
1’
, select numeric values of greater than the medium value in the numeric sequence and in response to resulting bit equal to ‘
0’
, select numeric values of not greater than the medium value in the numeric sequence; andan output module configured to make the comparator and the selector repeat the comparison and the selection a total of ‘
n’
times while making a numeric sequence of the selected numeric values input into the input unit to sequentially halve the number of the numeric values included in the numeric sequence, array ‘
n’
resulting bits output from the comparator in an output order from its upper bit position, and output the arrayed ‘
n’
resulting bits as the ordinal number. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
- n numeric values arranged in an ascending order with a comparison target value as an object of comparison and searching for an ordinal number of a minimum numeric value out of numeric values of equal to or greater than the comparison target value in the numeric sequence,
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11. An image processing method of determining an arrangement of dots, based on a dither matrix having a record of threshold values used for determining a dot formation state in each of pixels constituting image data according to a tone value of the pixel,
the image processing method comprising: -
dividing the dither matrix into multiple blocks, each including a preset number of plural threshold values, and sequentially comparing each tone value with threshold values included in each block in an allowable range of the tone value in an ascending order, so as to generate an encoding table of recording a correlation of an encoded value representing an arrangement of dots in one block to a representative tone value; inputting image data; identifying a block position in the dither matrix corresponding to each pixel, based on a position of the pixel in the input image data and positions of the respective blocks in the dither matrix; inputting a tone value of each pixel as a comparison target value and inputting a numeric sequence of multiple representative tone values correlated to a block position identified corresponding to the pixel from the encoding table; comparing the comparison target value of each pixel with a medium value of the numeric sequence correlated to the identified block position and repeating comparison between the comparison target value with a successively specified medium value of the numeric sequence while sequentially halving the number of the representative tone values included in the numeric sequence on a boundary of the medium value; specifying an encoded value of each pixel according to a result of the repeated comparisons; and determining an arrangement of dots to be formed in a block corresponding to the position of each pixel, based on the specified encoded value of the pixel and the identified block position.
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Specification