Color image outputting system for an image processing apparatus

• US 5,187,570 A
• Filed: 06/13/1990
• Issued: 02/16/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Hibi, Yoshiharu, Terada, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, David K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Application Number:
  US07/537,623
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 358/80, 358/79, 358/75, 358/458
• US Class Current: 358/520
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40012 Conversion of colour to monochrome
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4072 dependent on the contents of the original
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6022 Generating a fourth subtractive colour signal, e.g. under colour removal, black masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6027 Correction or control of colour gradation or colour contrast H04N1/6058 takes precedence

Abstract

A mono color image outputting system for an image processing apparatus applies a color correction separated color signals in the input section converts them into recording signals of color material, before outputting a color image. In the mono color outputting system, a gradation property of value data in the input section is linearly compressed to correspond to a gradation property of value data in the output section.

Claims

1. A monochrome image producing system for an image processing apparatus comprising:

an input section for gathering visual data signals of an original image, said input section having means for applying a color correction in response to said visual data signals, and means for converting said visual data signals into recording signals used for producing a color image;

an output section for expressing said original image in terms of at least a portion of said visual data signals, said input section having means for linearly compressing a gradation property of a data value in said input section to correspond to the gradation property of the data value in said output section; and

means for generating a luminous signal by converting said visual data signals into an equivalent neutral density.

2. The monochrome image producing system according to claim 1, in which a gradation property of value information in the input section is made to correspond to a gradation property of a color difference in the output section.

18. The monochrome image producing system according to claim 1, further comprising means for obtaining a value signal based on the visual data signals and reflectivity values obtained by converting the visual data signal, and converting means for converting the value signal into a mesh % signal.

20. The monochrome image producing system according to claim 1, wherein said visual data signals include separated color signals.

3. A monochrome image producing system for an image processing apparatus comprising:

an input section for gathering visual data signals of an original image, said input section having means for applying a color correction in response to said visual data signals, and means for converting said visual data signals into recording signals used for producing a color image; and

an output section for expressing said original image in terms of at least a portion of said visual data signals, said input section having means for linearly compressing a gradation property of a data value in said input section to correspond to the gradation property of the data value in said output section

means for generating a luminous signal by converting said visual data signals into an equivalent neutral density, and first converting means for converting the luminous signals into a mesh % signal.

4. The monochrome image producing system according to claim 3, wherein said means for generating a luminous signal implements a matrix, said matrix having parameters being formed by reapplying said visual data signals after the equivalent neutral density converting process by using equally divided density luminous signals anticipated from a predicted value data of the original image and a method of least squares.

5. The monochrome image producing system according to claim 3, wherein said first converting means is formed by composing a first table for converting the luminous signal to a value signal, and a second table for converting the value signal to the mesh % signal.

6. The monochrome image producing system according to claim 5, wherein a value signal converting table intervenes between said first and second tables, thereby to saturate a high value part and a low value part.

7. The monochrome image producing system according to claim 6, wherein said saturation is carried out at a maximum value and a minimum value of the value in the input section and at a maximum value and a minimum value of the color difference in the output section.

8. The monochrome image producing system according to claim 6, wherein the high value part is at a value of a white paper state.

9. The monochrome image producing system according to claim 3, wherein said first converting means includes a conversion table common to each color.

10. The monochrome image producing system according to claim 3, wherein said first converting means includes standardized mixing ratios of neutral tints among primary colors.

11. The monochrome image producing system according to claim 10, further comprising means for increasing a mixing ratio of the neutral tint when an absolute density of the neutral tint is unsatisfactory.

12. The monochrome image producing system according to claim 10, further comprising means for increasing a tone to emphasize contrast when an absolute density of the neutral tint is unsatisfactory.

13. The monochrome image producing system according to claim 3, further comprising means for extracting and setting a mixing ratio of a designated color.

14. The monochrome image producing system according to claim 3, further comprising means for obtaining a mixing ratio from a mesh % as obtained by processing the visual data signals of a designated color, and setting said mixing ratio in a conversion table.

15. The monochrome image producing system according to claim 3, further comprising means for obtaining a mixing ratio from a luminous signal as obtained by processing the visual data signals of a designated color.

16. The monochrome image producing system according to claims 14 or 15, further comprising means for obtaining a maximum value of the visual data signals and for determining a mixing ratio by dividing a value of at least one of the visual data signals by said maximum value.

17. The monochrome image producing system according to claims 14 or 15, further comprising means for determining a mixing ratio by dividing a value of at least one of the visual data signals by a predetermined value.

19. A monochrome image producing system for an image processing apparatus comprising:

an input section for gathering visual data signals of an original image, said input section having means for applying a color correction in response to said visual data signals, and means for converting said visual data signals into recording signals before producing a color image;

an output section for expressing said original image in terms of at least a portion of said visual data signals, said input section having means for making a gradation property of data value in the input section nonlinearly correspond to the gradation property of the data value in the output section; and

means for generating a luminous signal by converting said visual data signals into an equivalent neutral density.