Data conversion apparatus, recording apparatus including the data conversion apparatus, and data conversion method

• US 9,225,870 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2012
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kondo, Mitsuru
• Primary Examiner(s): Crutchfield, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US13/666,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20130057877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1836 Rasterization
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1852 involving combining data of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/1911 Simultaneously or substantially simultaneously scanning picture elements on more than one main scanning line, e.g. scanning in swaths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence

Abstract

A data conversion apparatus which converts data including a K pixel amount of bit data expressed as N bits/1 pixel, where N and K are plural, using conversion data of predetermined bits comprising: a holding unit configured to hold input data in K×N bits; an acquisition unit configured to acquire from the conversion data a number of bit patterns corresponding to a decimal value expressed by N bits among a conversion target to convert the input data held by the holding unit by N-bit units; a storage unit configured to store a pattern of N bits corresponding to a decimal value obtained from a bit pattern acquired by the acquisition unit in a bit position of the conversion target; and an updating unit configured to update the bit position of the conversion target each time the acquisition unit and the storage unit perform processing.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

one or more circuits configured to perform operations comprising;

acquiring image data indicating recording or non-recording of a dot in a unit region; and

in a case where the image data acquired in the acquiring is first image data of K bits having a K pixel amount of data in which one bit in the image data indicates recording or non-recording of a dot of each pixel, converting K bits of the image data, in every one bit, into a value based on information corresponding to one bit of conversion data for reducing a number of recording dots corresponding to the image data,

and, in a case where the image data acquired in the acquiring is second image data of K bits having a plurality of units of data in which N bits of the image data, N being an integer equal to or larger than 2, designates one pattern indicating recording or non-recording of a dot of each pixel in one unit comprising a plurality of pixels, converting K bits of image data, in every N bits, into a value based on information corresponding to N bits of the conversion data.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an array of K bits of the first and second image data correspond to a scanning direction of a recording head which performs recording on a recording medium using recording data, and one unit in the second data comprises a plurality of pixels belonging to a plurality of rasters.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 2 bits of the second image data designate one pattern defining recording or non-recording of a dot of each pixel in a unit consisting of 4 pixels.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unit region is a region in the vicinity of a boundary between bands recorded by different scannings of a recording head.

5. An image processing method comprising:

acquiring image data indicating recording or non-recording of a dot in a unit region; and

in a case where the image data acquired in the acquiring is first image data of K bits having a K pixel amount of data in which one bit in the image data indicates recording or non-recording of a dot of each pixel, converting K bits of the image data, in every one bit, into a value based on information corresponding to one bit of conversion data for reducing a number of recording dots corresponding to the image data,

and, in a case where the image data acquired in the acquiring is second image data of K bits having a plurality of units of data in which N bits of the image data, N being an integer equal to or larger than 2, designates one pattern indicating recording or non-recording of a dot of each pixel in one unit comprising a plurality of pixels, converting K bits of image data, in every N bits, into a value based on information corresponding to N bits of the conversion data.

6. The image processing method according to claim 5, wherein an array of K bits of the first and second image data correspond to a scanning direction of a recording head which performs recording on a recording medium using recording data, and one unit in the second data comprises a plurality of pixels belonging to a plurality of rasters.

7. The image processing method according to claim 5, wherein 2 bits of the second image data designate one pattern defining recording or non-recording of a dot of each pixel in a unit consisting of 4 pixels.

8. The image processing method according to claim 5, wherein the unit region is a region in the vicinity of a boundary between bands recorded by different scannings of a recording head.

9. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

one or more circuits configured to perform operations comprising;

acquiring image data indicating recording or non-recording of a dot in a unit region; and

in a case where the image data acquired in the acquiring step is first image data of K bit having a K pixel amount of data in which one bit in the image data indicates recording or non-recording of the dot of each pixel, processing the image data in every one bit and converting a value of one bit of the image data into a value of one bit of conversion data for reducing a number of recording dots corresponding to the image data,

and in a case where the image data acquired in the acquiring step is second image data having a plurality of units of data in which N bits of the image data, N being an integer equal to or larger than 2, designates a pattern indicating recording or non-recording of a dot of each pixel in one unit comprising a plurality of pixels, processing the image data in every N bits, and converting a value of N bits of the image data into a value based on a value of a predetermined number of bits in the conversion data, the predetermined number determined based on the value of the N bit which is the processing target of the image data.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the converting step, in a case where the first image data is processed, comprises converting each of a plurality of different pixel values of the image data into each of the bit value which the conversion data differs, and in a case where the second image data is processed, comprises converting each of the value of the units of the plurality of different N bits of the image data into a value based on each of the value of bits which the conversion data differs.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the converting step, in a case where the first image data is processed, comprises converting a value corresponding to pixels which the first image data indicates record of the dots into a value of one bit of the conversion data,

and in a case where a pattern which value of N bits of the second image data indicates recording of the dot to at least one pixel in the unit is designated, when the first image data does not perform conversion of value corresponding to pixels that does not indicate recording of the dot and when the second image data is processed, comprises converting value of N bits of the image data into a value based on a value of the predetermined number of bits in the conversion data,

and in a case where a pattern of the value of N bits of the second image data does not indicate recording of the dots in any of the pixels in the unit, conversion of value of the N bits is not performed.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein array of bits of the first and second image data correspond to a scanning direction of a recording head which performs recording on a recording medium using recording data, and one unit in the second image data comprises a plurality of pixels belonging to plurality of rasters.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein 2 bits of the second image data designate one pattern defining recording and non-recording of a dot of each pixel in a unit consisting of 4 pixels.

14. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the unit region is a region in the vicinity of a boundary between bands recorded by different scannings of a recording head.

15. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9, the operations further comprising:

recording by providing recording materials to a recording medium based on image data which conversion is performed in the converting step.

16. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

one or more circuits configured to perform operations comprising;

acquiring image data having a plurality of units of data in which N bits of the image data, N being an integer equal to or larger than 2, designates a pattern indicating recording or non-recording of a dot of each pixel in one unit comprising a plurality of pixels, which is an image data that indicates recording and non-recording of dots to unit region; and

processing the acquired image data in every N bits and converting value of N bits of the image data into a value based on a value of a predetermined number of bits in conversion data, the predetermined number being based on the value represented by the N bits of the processing target of the image data.

17. The image processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein an array of bits of the image data correspond to a scanning direction of a recording head which performs recording on a recording medium using recording data, and one unit in the image data comprises a plurality of pixels belonging to a plurality of rasters.

18. The image processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the unit region is a region in the vicinity of a boundary between bands recorded by different scannings of a recording head that discharges ink while scanning on the recording medium and performing recording.

19. An image processing method comprising:

acquiring image data indicating recording or non-recording of a dot in a unit region; and

in a case where the image data acquired in the acquiring step is first image data of K bit having a K pixel amount of data in which one bit in the image data indicates recording or non-recording of the dot of each pixel, processing the image data in every one bit and converting a value of one bit of the image data into a value of one bit of conversion data for reducing a number of recording dots corresponding to the image data,

and in a case where the image data acquired in the acquiring step is second image data having a plurality of units of data in which N bits of the image data, N being an integer equal to or larger than 2, designates a pattern indicating recording or non-recording of a dot of each pixel in one unit comprising a plurality of pixels, processing the image data in every N bits, and converting a value of N bits of the image data into a value based on a value of a predetermined number of bits in the conversion data, the predetermined number determined based on the value of the N bit which is the processing target of the image data.

20. The image processing method according to claim 19, wherein the converting step, in a case where the first image data is processed, comprises converting each of a plurality of different pixel values of the image data into each of the bit value which the conversion data differs, and in a case where the second image data is processed, comprises converting each of the value of the units of the plurality of different N bits of the image data into a value based on each of the value of bits which the conversion data differs.

21. The image processing method according to claim 19, wherein the converting step, in a case where the first image data is processed, comprises converting a value corresponding to pixels which the first image data indicates record of the dots into a value of one bit of the conversion data,

and in a case where a pattern which value of N bits of the second image data indicates recording of the dot to at least one pixel in the unit is designated, when the first image data does not perform conversion of value corresponding to pixels that does not indicate recording of the dot and when the second image data is processed, comprises converting value of N bits of the image data into a value based on a value of the predetermined number of bits in the conversion data,

and in a case where a pattern of the value of N bits of the second image data does not indicate recording of the dots in any of the pixels in the unit, conversion of value of the N bits is not performed.

22. The image processing method according to claim 19, wherein array of bits of the first and second image data correspond to a scanning direction of a recording head which performs recording on a recording medium using recording data, and one unit in the second image data comprises a plurality of pixels belonging to plurality of rasters.

23. The image processing method according to claim 19, wherein 2 bits of the second image data designate one pattern defining recording and non-recording of a dot of each pixel in a unit consisting of 4 pixels.

24. The image processing method according to claim 19, wherein the unit region is a region in the vicinity of a boundary between bands recorded by different scannings of a recording head.

25. The image processing method according to claim 19, further comprising:

recording by providing recording materials to a recording medium based on image data which conversion is performed in the converting step.