Printing apparatus, printing method, image processing apparatus, image processing method, printing program, image processing program, and storage medium

• US 7,433,064 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2006
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen; Huo Long
• Application Number:
  US11/554,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20070097405A1
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.13, 358/1.9, 358/518, 382/252, 382/309, 382/167
• US Class Current: 358/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/2128 by means of energy modulation control methods or devices therefor, e.g. driver circuits or control circuits B41J2/04501
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4078 using gradational references, e.g. grey-scale test pattern analysis

Abstract

A printing apparatus includes: a unit that generates test pattern data considering visual characteristics, on the basis of a test pattern grayscale value determined on the basis of visual sensitivity; an N-value conversion unit that converts the test pattern data generated by the unit that generates test pattern data considering visual characteristics into an N value (N≧2: N is a natural number); a printing data generating unit that generates test pattern printing data on the basis of the N-value test pattern data output from the N-value conversion unit; a printing unit that performs printing on the basis of the test pattern printing data generated by the printing data generating unit; an output density detecting unit that detects the output density of a test pattern printed by the printing unit; a printer input/output density information generating unit that generates printer input/output density information for correcting input density, on the basis of the output density of the test pattern detected by the output density detecting unit; an image data acquiring unit that acquires image data composed of M values (M>N≧2: M is a natural number); and an input density correcting unit that corrects the input density of the image data acquired by the image data acquiring unit, on the basis of the printer input/output density information generated by the printer input/output density information generating unit.

Claims

1. A printing apparatus comprising:

a unit that generates test pattern data considering visual characteristics, on the basis of a test pattern grayscale value determined on the basis of visual sensitivity;

an N-value conversion unit that converts the test pattern data generated by the unit that generates test pattern data considering visual characteristics into an N value (N≧

2;

N is a natural number);

a printing data generating unit that generates test pattern printing data on the basis of the N-value test pattern data output from the N-value conversion unit;

a printing unit that performs printing on the basis of the test pattern printing data generated by the printing data generating unit;

an output density detecting unit that detects the output density of a test pattern printed by the printing unit;

a printer input/output density information generating unit that generates printer input/output density information for correcting input density, on the basis of the output density of the test pattern detected by the output density detecting unit;

an image data acquiring unit that acquires image data composed of M values (M>

N≧

2;

M is a natural number);

an input density correcting unit that corrects the input density of the image data acquired by the image data acquiring unit, on the basis of the printer input/output density information generated by the printer input/output density information generating unit; and

a test pattern grayscale value selecting unit that selects the test pattern grayscale value from a predetermined range of grayscale values on the basis of the visual sensitivity;

wherein the unit that generates test pattern data considering visual characteristics generates the test pattern data on the basis of the test pattern grayscale value selected by the test pattern grayscale value selecting unit.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the test pattern grayscale value selecting unit selects the test pattern grayscale values such that the number of test pattern grayscale values selected from a grayscale region in which the visual sensitivity is higher than a predetermined threshold value is larger than the number of test pattern grayscale values selected from a grayscale region in which the visual sensitivity is lower than the predetermined threshold value.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the test pattern grayscale value selecting unit selects the test pattern grayscale values such that the number of parts divided from a grayscale region in which the visual sensitivity is higher than a predetermined threshold value is larger than the number of parts divided from a grayscale region in which the visual sensitivity is lower than the predetermined threshold value.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the test pattern grayscale value selecting unit selects the test pattern grayscale values such that the number of parts divided from a grayscale region in which the visual sensitivity is lower than a predetermined threshold value is smaller than the number of parts divided from a grayscale region in which the visual sensitivity is higher than the predetermined threshold value.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the test pattern grayscale value selecting unit selects the test pattern grayscale values at equal intervals or at substantially equal intervals with respect to the visual sensitivity.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the visual sensitivity is an L* value of a CIE 1976 L*a*b* color space.

7. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a unit that generates test pattern data considering visual characteristics, on the basis of a test pattern grayscale value determined on the basis of visual sensitivity;

an N-value conversion unit that converts the test pattern data generated by the unit that generates test pattern data considering visual characteristics into an N value (N≧

2;

N is a natural number);

a printing data generating unit that generates test pattern printing data on the basis of the N-value test pattern data output from the N-value conversion unit;

an output density detecting unit that, after printing is performed by a predetermined printing apparatus on the basis of the test pattern printing data generated by the printing data generating unit, detects the output density of a test pattern printed by the predetermined printing apparatus;

a printer input/output density information generating unit that generates printer input/output density information for correcting input density, on the basis of the output density of the test pattern detected by the output density detecting unit;

an image data acquiring unit that acquires image data composed of M values (M>

N≧

2;

M is a natural number);

an input density correcting unit that corrects the input density of the image data acquired by the image data acquiring unit, on the basis of the printer input/output density information generated by the printer input/output density information generating unit; and

a test pattern grayscale value selecting unit that selects the test pattern grayscale value from a predetermined range of grayscale values on the basis of the visual sensitivity;

wherein the unit that generates test pattern data considering visual characteristics generates the test pattern data on the basis of the test pattern grayscale value selected by the test pattern grayscale value selecting unit.

8. A printing program stored in a computer-readable storage medium that allows a computer to execute:

selecting a test pattern grayscale vale from a predetermined range of grayscale values on the basis of visual sensitivity;

generating test pattern data considering visual characteristics, on the basis of the test pattern grayscale value selected on the basis of the visual sensitivity;

converting the test pattern data generated considering the visual characteristics into an N value (N≧

2;

N is a natural number);

generating test pattern printing data on the basis of the N-value test pattern data obtained in the converting of the test pattern data;

performing printing on the basis of the test pattern printing data generated in the generating of the printing data;

detecting the output density of a test pattern printed in the performing of printing;

generating printer input/output density information for correcting input density, on the basis of the output density of the test pattern detected in the detecting of the output density;

acquiring image data composed of M values (M>

N≧

2;

M is a natural number); and

correcting the input density of the image data acquired in the acquiring of the image data, on the basis of the printer input/output density information generated in the generating of the printer input/output density information.