Image formation apparatus

• US 7,151,619 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2002
• Issued: 12/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Inuduka, Tatsuki, Toyoda, Yasutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Rogers, Scott A.
• Application Number:
  US10/101,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20030081257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,735 Days
• Field of Search: 358/3.13, 358/3.14, 358/3.16, 358/3.2, 358/3.26, 358/1.9, 358/3.06, 358/3.22, 358533-536, 358/3.23, 382/270, 382/275
• US Class Current: 358/3.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4051 producing a dispersed dots halftone pattern, the dots having substantially the same size different sizes H04N1/4057
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4053 with threshold modulated relative to input image data or vice versa

Abstract

An image formation apparatus includes an aperiodic data generating unit for generating aperiodic data between pixel areas having a neighboring relation every pixel area comprising a plurality of pixels having an interlocking relation of the image data, a threshold value deciding unit for converting the aperiodic data into a plurality of threshold data for forming a systematic dot array in the pixel area, and a gradation conversion processing unit for performing a gradation converting process by comparing the image data with the threshold data, thereby reducing a signal processing amount as compared with that in case of performing the propagating process on a pixel unit basis.

Claims

1. An image formation apparatus for converting image data including periodicity into data in a print format of a printer of an electrophotographic system, comprising:

aperiodic data generating means for generating aperiodic data between pixel areas having a neighboring relation every pixel area comprising a plurality of pixels having an interlocking relation of said image data;

threshold value deciding means for converting said aperiodic data into a plurality of threshold data for forming a systematic dot array in said pixel area; and

gradation conversion processing means for performing a gradation converting process by comparing said image data with said threshold data.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said threshold value deciding means has a table showing a relation in which a threshold value of the aperiodic data is set to an input and a threshold value which is made to correspond to each pixel in said pixel area which is formed from said aperiodic data is set to an output.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the case where the aperiodic data is assumed to be TH and the number of pixels in said pixel area is equal to N, the threshold data to form said systematic dot array is determined by the aperiodic data and said number of pixels by assuming that a threshold value which is used for quantization of the first pixel is equal to 1·

TH/N, a threshold value which is used for quantization of the second pixel is equal to 2·

TH/N, and a threshold value which is used for quantization of the Nth pixel is equal to N·

TH/N, respectively.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said gradation conversion processing means comprises:

quantizing means for converting said image data into print data by comparing said image data with said threshold data;

correction value deciding means for deciding a quantization error caused by quantization every said pixel area and deciding a correction value for correcting the image data corresponding to the pixel area where a quantizing process is not performed;

data storing means for accumulating said correction value; and

data correcting means for correcting the correction value; and

data correcting means for correcting the image data corresponding to said pixel area where the correction value; and

data correcting means for correcting the image data corresponding to said pixel area where the quantizing process is not performed by using said accumulated correction value.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein in the case where the number of pixels in said pixel areas is equal to n and quantization errors of the image data corresponding to the pixel areas are assumed to be E1 to En, said correction value deciding means sets a sum of E1 to En to the quantization error of said pixel areas and decides said correction value as 1/n·

Σ

En by said number (n) of pixels.

14. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the threshold data for forming said systematic dot array is threshold data in which dots concentrate regularly in the area due to a decrease in luminance value or an increase in density value of said image data.

4. An image formation apparatus for converting image data including periodicity into data in a print format of a printer of an electrophotographic system, comprising:

a blue noise mask storing unit for storing a blue noise mask;

threshold value deciding means for allowing each threshold value of said blue noise mask to correspond to each pixel area comprising a plurality of pixels having an interlocking relation of said image data and converting the threshold value of said blue noise mask into a plurality of threshold data for forming a systematic dot array in said pixel area; and

gradation conversion processing means for performing a gradation converting process by comparing performing a gradation converting process by comparing said image data with said threshold data.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said threshold value deciding means has a table showing a relation in which the threshold value of said blue noise mask is set to an input and a threshold value which is made to correspond to each pixel in said pixel area which is formed from the threshold value of said blue noise mask is set to an output.

6. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein in the case where the threshold value of said blue noise mask is assumed to be TH and the number of threshold values is equal to N, the threshold data to form said systematic dot array is determined by the threshold value of said blue noise mask and said number of threshold values by assuming that a threshold value which is used for quantization of the first pixel is equal to TH/N, a threshold value which is used for quantization of the second pixel is equal to 2·

TH/N, and a threshold value which is used for quantization of the Nth pixel is equal to TH, respectively.

9. An image formation apparatus for converting image data including periodicity into data in a print format of a printer of an electrophotographic system, comprising:

gradation conversion processing means for using a dither matrix in which a plurality of threshold value areas each comprising a plurality of threshold data having an interlocking relation are arranged and performing a gradation conversion by comparing said image data with the threshold data of said dither matrix,

wherein each of said threshold data in said threshold value area is threshold data for forming a systematic dot array in said threshold value area, and the dither matrix in which only the largest threshold data has been extracted in said threshold value area is aperiodic between the threshold data having a neighboring relation.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein in the case where the aperiodic data is assumed to be TH and the number of threshold data in said threshold value area is equal to N, the threshold data to form said systematic dot array is determined by the aperiodic data and said number of threshold data by assuming that a threshold value which is used for quantization of the first pixel is equal to 1·

TH/N, a threshold value which is used for quantization of the second pixel is equal to 2·

TH/N, and a threshold value which is used for quantization of the Nth pixel is equal to N·

TH/N, respectively.

12. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said gradation conversion processing means comprises:

quantizing means for converting said image data into print data by comparing said image data with said threshold data;

correction value deciding means for deciding a quantization error caused by quantization every said threshold value area and deciding a correction value for correcting the image data corresponding to the threshold value area where a quantizing process is not performed;

data storing means for accumulating said correction value; and

data correcting means for correcting the image data corresponding to said threshold value area where the quantizing process is not performed by using said accumulated correction value.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein in the case where the number of threshold values in said threshold value area is equal to n and quantization errors of the image data corresponding to the threshold value areas are assumed to be E1 to En, said correction value deciding means sets a sum of E1 to En to the quantization error of said threshold value areas and decides said correction value as 1/n·

En.

11. An image formation apparatus for converting image data including periodicity into data in a print format of a printer of an electrophotographic system, comprising:

gradation conversion processing means for using a dither matrix in which a plurality of threshold value areas each comprising a plurality of threshold data having an interlocking relation are arranged and performing a gradation conversion by comparing each pixel of said image data with each of said threshold data of said dither matrix,

wherein said dither matrix is obtained in a manner such that each threshold value of a blue noise mask is made to correspond to each threshold value area in said dither matrix, the threshold value of said blue noise mask is converted into a plurality of threshold data for forming a systematic dot array in said threshold value area, and said plurality of threshold data is arranged, and the dither matrix in which only the largest threshold data has been extracted in said threshold value area has frequency characteristics similar to those of said blue noise mask.