Printer having image correcting capability

• US 6,831,755 B1
• Filed: 06/25/1999
• Issued: 12/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Yoshinori, Narushima, Toshio, Ohmuro, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): ROGERS, SCOTT A
• Application Number:
  US09/344,675
• Time in Patent Office: 1,999 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.9, 358/3.26, 358/504, 358/518, 358/519, 358/520, 358/523, 358/527, 358/406, 358/3.24, 358/530, 358/537, 358/452, 358/528, 358/450, 358/451, 382/167, 382/289, 382/296, 382/286, 382/288, 382/293, 382/298
• US Class Current: 358/1.9
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3878 Skew detection or correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40 Picture signal circuits H04N1/387 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6052 Matching two or more picture signal generators or two or more picture reproducers

Abstract

A printer in which difference in color tone or contrast between a picture displayed on a display and a picture printed by the printer device is suppressed to a minimum. The display is preferably integrated with the printer. The printer includes an image data inputting unit for receiving input image information, e.g., by reading image data from a digital storage medium or from film, and providing digital image data based thereupon. Display outputting circuitry outputs an image signal corresponding to the digital image data to the display. A picture printing unit prints an image corresponding to the digital image data on a recording medium. A characteristics correction unit corrects a display setting prescribing display image properties of the display and a printing characteristics setting prescribing printing picture properties of the printing unit, so that color tone and/or contrast of the displayed and printed pictures are equalized. The printer also preferably includes circuitry for automatically correcting a tilt of a picture, e.g., tilt of an object in a photograph.

Claims

1. A printer comprising:

a picture data inputting unit for receiving input image information and providing digital image data based thereupon;

display outputting circuitry for outputting at least one image signal corresponding to said digital image data to a display means;

a printing unit for printing an image corresponding to said digital image data on a recording medium; and

a characteristics correction unit for correcting at least one of a display setting prescribing display image quality in the display means and a printing characteristics setting prescribing printing image quality in said printing unit;

wherein said digital image data is first digital image data, and said printer further comprises;

a picture processing unit for performing at least one of editing, working, synthesis and correction processing of said first digital image data to thereby generate processed digital image data as second digital image data; and

said second digital picture data being outputted for display by said display means and being printed on a recording medium by said picture printing unit.

2. The printer according to claim 1 wherein said picture processing unit includes a memory for storing application software for image data processing, said software being executed by said picture processing unit to perform said processing of said first digital image data.

3. The printer according to claim 2 wherein said application software is stored in said memory in a manner capable of being varied, so as to vary at least one of said editing, working, synthesis and correction processing operations carried out in said picture processing unit.

4. The printer according to claim 1 further comprising:

an image correction unit for correcting at least one of said first digital image data and said second digital image data, said image correction unit correcting at least one data value of said first digital image data and/or at least one data value of said second digital image data to generate third digital image data;

said third digital picture data being also displayed and outputted to said display means and/or printed by said picture printing unit on the recording medium.

5. The printer according to claim 1 further comprising command input means for inputting an external command.

6. The printer according to claim 1, wherein said display means includes a display integrated with said printer, and at least said picture data inputting unit, said display, said printing unit and said characteristics correction unit are integrated together in a main body unit.

7. The printer according to claim 6 wherein said command input means is integrated with said main body unit.

8. The printer according to claim 6 wherein said picture data inputting unit includes at least one of an analog image signal inputting means and a digital image data inputting means unitary with the main body unit.

9. The printer according to claim 8 wherein said analog image signal inputting means is a scanner having at least one of an analog image signal input port and a photoelectric converting element.

10. The printer according to claim 8 wherein said digital image data inputting means is at least one of a digital image data port, a disc drive and a memory drive.

11. The printer according to claim 1, wherein said picture processing unit has plural image data calculating units for editing, working, synthesizing or correcting the first digital image data.

12. The printer according to claim 11 wherein:

the plural image data calculating units effect the same processing;

each of the image data calculating units is adapted to correspond to a respective pre-set range of the first digital image data; and

each of the image data calculating units performs the same processing on each pre-set range of the first digital image data associated therewith.

13. The printer according to claim 12 wherein the pre-set range corresponds to at least one row or at least one column of the first digital image data.

14. The printer according to claim 12 wherein the pre-set range corresponds to a block of the first digital image data.

15. The printer according to claim 12 wherein the pre-set range is specified by image contents of the first digital image data.

16. The printer according to claim 8 wherein the plural image data calculating units effect different processing;

each of the image data calculating units is adapted to correspond to a respective pre-set range of the first digital image data; and

the image data calculating units perform different processing on the respective pre-set ranges of the first digital image data associated therewith.

17. The printer according to claim 16 wherein the pre-set range corresponds to at least one row or at least one column of the first digital image data.

18. The printer according to claim 16 wherein the pre-set range corresponds to a block of the first digital image data.

19. The printer according to claim 16 wherein the pre-set range is specified by image contents of the first digital image data.

20. The printer according to claim 11 wherein each of the image data calculating units performs sequentially different processing on the first digital image data globally.

21. The printer according to claim 11 wherein the picture processing unit has an image data transfer unit for inputting/outputting data of the first digital image data in a pre-set sequence to or from plural image data calculating units.

22. The printer according to claim 11 wherein the image processing unit has a controller for controlling each image data calculating unit.

23. The printer according to claim 22 wherein the controller controls the image data calculating units as a single unit.

24. The printer according to claim 23 wherein the controller is provided for each of the image data calculating units and individually controls the image data calculating units.

25. The printer according to claim 1 further comprising:

inputting means for inputting an external command;

a program data inputting unit for inputting a program file and/or parameter data; and

a non-volatile memory for storing and holding the program file and/or the parameter data;

at least one of the printing properties correcting unit, the image processing unit and the inputting means being controlled based on the program file and/or the parameter data inputted from the program data inputting unit or stored in the non-volatile memory.

26. The printer according to claim 25 wherein the program data inputting unit is provided in the picture data inputting unit.

27. The printer according to claim 26 wherein the program data inputting unit has a plurality of image inputting means, and conversion of the input image information into first digital image data and inputting of the program file and/or the parameter data being effected by the same image inputting means.

28. The printer according to claim 27 wherein the program data inputting unit has a plurality of image inputting means, and conversion of the input image information into first digital image data and inputting of the program file and/or the parameter data being effected by different ones of said plurality of image inputting means.

29. The printer according to claim 25 wherein at least one of the program files and the parameter data is inputted from the program data inputting unit and stored in the non-volatile memory, whereby updating, rewriting or addition is effected in the controlling method for at least one of the characteristics correction unit, the picture processing unit and the inputting means.

30. The printer according to claim 25 wherein the program data inputting unit comprises a program loading unit having a control program which is invariable.

31. The printer according to claim 25 wherein the program data inputting unit comprises a program loading unit having a control program, a changing priority sequence of the control program of the program loading unit is lower than the change sequence of the program file and/or the parameter data.

32. The printer according to claim 25 wherein program file and the parameter data have the common format, each of them is given a code for identification, respectively.

33. The printer according to claim 25 wherein, in controlling the characteristics correction unit and/or image processing unit and/or inputting means based on the program file and/or the parameter data inputted from the program data inputting unit or stored and held in the non-volatile memory, the starting method and the terminating method of the program file and the accessing information and are unified and/or the parameter data description form are unified.

34. The printer according to claim 11, further comprising:

i) an image verifying unit for verifying the image contents of the first digital image data by extracting and checking a predetermined image component which is at least one of a vertical image component and a horizontal image component,

the vertical image component is approximately in the vertical direction relative to an image frame of the first digital image data;

the horizontal image component is approximately in the horizontal direction relative to the image frame of the first digital image data; and

verifying an angle between at least one of these extracted image components and the vertical direction or the horizontal direction of the image frame,

ii) an input position adjustment unit for generating the first digital image data in the program data inputting unit by rotating and moving inputting position of analog image signals on the basis of the verified angle.

35. The printer according to claim 34 wherein the predetermined one of the image components is the horizontal image component.

36. The printer according to claim 11, further comprising:

an image verifying unit for verifying the image contents of the first digital image data by extracting and checking a predetermined image component which is at least one of a vertical image component and a horizontal image component,

the vertical image component is approximately in the vertical direction relative to an image frame of the first digital image data,

the horizontal image component is approximately in the horizontal direction relative to the image frame of the first digital image data, and

verifying an angle between at least one of these extracted image components and the vertical direction or the horizontal direction of the image frame; and

the image data calculating unit generating an adjusted first digital image data in the program data inputting unit by rotating and moving the first digital image data on the basis of the verified angle.

37. The printer according to claim 36 wherein the predetermined one of the image components is the horizontal image component.

38. The printer according to claim 34 wherein the input position adjustment unit generates the first digital image data in the program data inputting unit by moving an inputting position of analog image signals parallel to the vertical or horizontal direction relative to the image frame on the basis of the verified angle.

39. The printer according to claim 36 wherein the image data calculating unit generates the adjusted first digital image data by controlling the image contents of a sliced pre-set portion of the first digital image data on the basis of the verified angle.

40. The printer according to claim 11 further comprising:

an image verifying unit for verifying whether pre-set image contents of pre-set first digital image data being provided in a specified range of said first digital image data or not; and

an image re-arranging unit for generating re-arranged the pre-set first digital image data by controlling the pre-set image contents provided in the specified range so as to be comprised within a prescribed region.

41. The printer according to claim 40 wherein the controlling method includes at least one of a processing of slicing a portion of the pre-set first digital image data, a processing of enlarging the pre-set first digital image data and a processing of deforming the pre-set first digital image data.

42. The printing system according to claim 40 wherein the pre-set image contents have an area, the image verifying unit for verifying whether a center of gravity of the pre-set image contents of preset first digital image data being provided in a specified range of said first digital image data or not, and

the image re-arranging unit for generating re-arranged the pre-set first digital image data by controlling the center of gravity of the pre-set image contents provided in the specified range so as to be comprised within the prescribed region.

43. The printing system according to claim 40 further comprising a line segment AB interconnecting both ends of a specified direction in the pre-set image contents in the re-arranged first digital image data;

a point G on the line segment AB being presupposed;

the point G is presupposed so that the length ratio of the line segment AB to a line segment AG or a line segment BG, whichever is longer, to be equal to the length ratio of the longer line segment of AG or BG to the shorter line segment of AG or BG; and

the image re-arranging unit controlling the pre-set image contents of the pre-set first digital image data for so as to be provided in the prescribed region having the point G.

44. The printer according to claim 43 wherein the line segment AB is divided by the point G by golden section.

45. The printer according to claim 43 wherein the ratio of the line segment AB to the line segment AG or BG approximately equal to 8:

5.

46. The printer according to claim 43 wherein the pre-set first digital image data is of a quadrangle and at least one of the vertical direction, horizontal direction and the diagonal direction is selected as the specified direction of the line segment AB.