CALIBRATION SYSTEM, CALIBRATION METHOD, AND RECORDING MEDIUM FOR COORDINATING COLOR VALUE OF OUTPUT COLOR OF ONE IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS WITH COLOR VALUE OF OUTPUT COLOR OF ANOTHER IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• US 20160112581A1
• Filed: 10/14/2015
• Published: 04/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Original Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: KISHI, Yoshitaka
• Granted Patent: US 9,749,502 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6033 using test pattern analysis H04N1/6055 takes precedence

Abstract

A calibration system includes a photographing device, a first image forming apparatus, a second image forming apparatus, and a tone-characteristics correcting circuit. The first image forming apparatus prints a first chart including patches in a plurality of colors. The second image forming apparatus prints a second chart corresponding to the first chart. The tone-characteristics correcting circuit corrects tone characteristics of the first image forming apparatus. The tone-characteristics correcting circuit corrects the tone characteristics of the first image forming apparatus to tone characteristics of the second image forming apparatus based on a difference in color value of patches between the first chart and the second chart in a both-side print chart image generated such that the first chart and the second chart are simultaneously photographed by the photographing device.

Claims

1. A calibration system, comprising:

an photographing device;

a first image forming apparatus that prints a first chart including patches in a plurality of colors;

a second image forming apparatus that prints a second chart corresponding to the first chart; and

a tone-characteristics correcting circuit that corrects tone characteristics of the first image forming apparatus,

wherein the tone-characteristics correcting circuit corrects the tone characteristics of the first image forming apparatus to tone characteristics of the second image forming apparatus based on a difference in color value of patches between the first chart and the second chart in a both-side print chart image generated such that the first chart and the second chart are simultaneously photographed by the photographing device.

2. The calibration system according to claim 1, further comprising

a target accepting circuit that accepts which of a reference chart and the second chart as a target of correction for the tone characteristics of the first image forming apparatus, the reference chart including already-known chromaticity values independent from a device with respect to patches corresponding to the first chart,

wherein when the target accepting circuit accepts the reference chart as a target, the tone-characteristics correcting circuit acquires a chromaticity value of an output color by the first image forming apparatus for the patch of the first chart based on:

a correspondence relationship between a color value of the patch of the reference chart and a known chromaticity value of the patch in a one-side print chart image; and

a color value of the patch of the first chart in the one-side print chart image, the one-side print chart image being generated such that the first chart and the reference chart are simultaneously photographed by the photographing device, the tone-characteristics correcting circuit correcting the tone characteristics of the first image forming apparatus to tone characteristics in accordance with the reference chart based on a difference between the chromaticity value of the output color by the first image forming apparatus for the patch of the first chart and the known chromaticity value of the patch of the reference chart, and

when the target accepting circuit accepts the second chart as a target, the tone-characteristics correcting circuit corrects the tone characteristics of the first image forming apparatus to the tone characteristics of the second image forming apparatus based on a difference in color value of the patches between the first chart and the second chart in the both-side print chart image.

3. A calibration method comprising:

printing a first chart including patches in a plurality of colors by a first image forming apparatus;

printing a second chart corresponding to the first chart by a second image forming apparatus; and

correcting tone characteristics of the first image forming apparatus,

wherein the correcting includes correcting the tone characteristics of the first image forming apparatus to tone characteristics of the second image forming apparatus based on a difference in color value of patches between the first chart and the second chart in a both-side print chart image generated such that the first chart printed by the first chart printing and the second chart printed by the second chart printing are simultaneously photographed by an photographing device.

4. An image forming apparatus for printing a first chart including patches in a plurality of colors, the image forming apparatus comprising

a tone-characteristics correcting circuit that corrects tone characteristics of the image forming apparatus,

wherein the tone-characteristics correcting circuit corrects the tone characteristics of the image forming apparatus to tone characteristics of another image forming apparatus based on a difference in color value of patches between the first chart and a second chart in a both-side print chart image, the second chart being printed by the other image forming apparatus corresponding to the first chart, the both-side print chart image being generated such that the first chart and the second chart are simultaneously photographed by an photographing device.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a calibration program executed by an image forming apparatus that prints a first chart including patches in a plurality of colors, the calibration program causing the image forming apparatus to function as

a tone-characteristics correcting circuit that corrects tone characteristics of the image forming apparatus,

wherein the tone-characteristics correcting circuit corrects the tone characteristics of the image forming apparatus to tone characteristics of another image forming apparatus based on a difference in color value of patches between the first chart and a second chart in a both-side print chart image, the second chart being printed by the other image forming apparatus corresponding to the first chart, the both-side print chart image being generated such that the first chart and the second chart are simultaneously photographed by an photographing device.