Device and method for recording

Abstract

To suppress a color difference due to a level of foaming when forming a recorded matter having a projection structure that is made by foaming a foaming particle.SOLUTION: A recording device determines an imparting amount of a colored liquid so that the colored liquid is more imparted to a region having a large foaming level than those with small levels even when a colored liquid plate indicates the same color.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a recording method for recording an image on a recording medium. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a recording apparatus for forming a three-dimensional image, a method is known in which a foaming control liquid is applied to the surface of a foamable sheet and then heating or irradiating the sheet with electromagnetic waves to form a concave-convex structure.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a method of forming a concave-convex structure by applying a foaming-promoting liquid that promotes foaming to the surface of a foamable sheet and then irradiating it with electromagnetic waves. This foaming-promoting liquid contains a material that absorbs the heat of electromagnetic waves, and the foaming-promoting liquid is colored rather than colorless. It is disclosed that the problem is that the color of the area where the foaming-promoting liquid is applied differs from that of the area where it is not applied, and that the difference in color is reduced by forming a color adjustment layer in the area where the foaming-promoting liquid is not applied. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-188774 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] By varying the amount of foaming control liquid applied, which controls the degree of foaming, it is possible to control the number of foaming particles that actually foam, and as a result, it is possible to change the height and surface area of ​​the convex structure formed on the recording medium.

[0006] On the other hand, by applying a colored liquid in addition to the expansion control liquid that expands the expanded beads, any color can be imparted to the region where the expanded beads are expanded. However, when the same amount of colored liquid is applied to each unit area for the purpose of recording an image of uniform color, there is a problem that the color will not be the same due to the difference in height and surface area of ​​the convex structure as described above.

[0007] In view of the above problem, an object of the present invention is to suppress color differences caused by the degree of foaming when forming a recorded matter having a convex structure by foaming foam particles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention provides a recording medium having a foaming layer formed on a base material and containing foaming particles that foam when energy is applied thereto, the recording medium comprising: an application means for applying a foaming control liquid that controls the degree of foaming of the foaming particles and a colored liquid that contains a coloring material; a generation means for generating a colored liquid recording signal value that indicates the amount of the colored liquid applied on the recording medium based on data of the colored liquid corresponding to the colored liquid, and a foaming control liquid recording signal value that indicates the amount of the foaming control liquid applied on the recording medium based on data of the foaming control liquid corresponding to the foaming control liquid; and a control means for controlling the application operation of the application means based on the recorded signal values ​​of the colored liquid and the foaming control liquid, wherein when the data of the colored liquid indicates that the color of the first region and the color of the second region are the same and the data of the foaming control liquid indicates that the degree of foaming of the first region is greater than the degree of foaming of the second region, the generation means generates the recorded signal values ​​of the colored liquid so that the amount of the colored liquid applied to the first region is greater than the amount of the colored liquid applied to the second region. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, when a recorded matter having a convex structure is formed by expanding foam particles, color difference caused by the degree of foaming can be suppressed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a recording medium on which a stereoscopic image is formed according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the arrangement of a print head according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of an input image according to the first embodiment; [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration according to a first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram of a print service according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 5 is a flowchart of a process during image recording according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining edge determination according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart of a process during image recording according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] (First embodiment) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] <Recording Media> 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a recording medium used in the production of a recorded matter having a three-dimensional image (convex structure) according to the present embodiment. The recording medium 10 has a substrate 11 and a foamed layer 12 provided on the substrate. The foamed layer 12 contains foamed particles 13 that expand when heated. The recording medium used in the present embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0013] The substrate 11 functions as a support for supporting the foam layer 12. The type of substrate is not limited. For example, it may be paper made of normal natural pulp; kenaf paper; plastic film sheets such as polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyester; synthetic fiber, synthetic pulp, and synthetic resin film made into imitation paper, so-called synthetic paper, nonwoven fabric, and the like.

[0014] The foamed layer 12 is provided on at least one surface of the substrate 11, and contains foamed particles 13 and a binder resin 14. The foamed particles 13 are thermally expandable microcapsules having a capsule-shaped shell layer 15 containing a thermoplastic resin and a volatile material 16 encapsulated in the shell layer 15. When heat is applied to the foamed particles 13, the thermoplastic resin constituting the shell layer 15 softens. At the same time, the volatile material 16 encapsulated in the shell layer 15 vaporizes, causing the volume of the foamed particles 13 to expand and inflate like a balloon.

[0015] Examples of the thermoplastic resin contained in the shell layer 15 include polystyrene, styrene-acrylic acid ester copolymer, polyamide resin, polyacrylic acid ester, polyvinylidene chloride, polyacrylonitrile, polymethyl methacrylate, vinylidene chloride-acrylonitrile, methacrylic acid ester-acrylic acid copolymer, vinylidene chloride-acrylic acid copolymer, vinylidene chloride-acrylic acid ester copolymer, and the like.

[0016] Examples of the volatile material 16 include low molecular weight hydrocarbons such as ethane, ethylene, propane, propene, n-butane, isobutane, n-pentane, isopentane, neopentane, n-hexane, heptane, and petroleum ether; chlorofluorocarbons such as CCl3F, CCl2F2, CClF3, and CClF2-CClF2; and tetraalkylsilanes such as tetramethylsilane, trimethylethylsilane, trimethylisopropylsilane, and trimethyl-n-propylsilane. The volatile material is preferably a hydrocarbon having a molecular weight of 120 or less. There is no lower limit on the molecular weight of the volatile material (hydrocarbon), but for example, 50 or more is preferable. The content of the foamed particles 13 in the foam layer is preferably 5% by mass or more and 95% by mass or less based on the total mass of the foam layer.

[0017] The foam layer 12 contains a binder resin 14 to enhance adhesion to the substrate 11. When the foam particles 13 are foamed by heating, the binder resin 14 plays an important role in suppressing peeling of the foam layer 12 from the substrate 11. A water-insoluble resin is used as the binder resin 14. Since the water-insoluble resin is not easily dissolved by the water in the foaming-promoting liquid, the adhesion between the foam layer 12 and the substrate 11 can be maintained even when the foaming-promoting liquid is applied. Furthermore, even when an aqueous ink containing water is applied onto the recording medium, the adhesion between the foam layer and the substrate can be maintained for the same reason.

[0018] The water-insoluble resin refers to one in which 95% or more by mass remains when immersed in 80°C hot water for 2 hours. The water-insoluble resin is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of acrylic resins and urethane resins. The water-insoluble resin is more preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of acrylic resins having no ester groups and urethane resins having no ester groups, and is preferably a non-water-absorbent resin. The content of the water-insoluble resin in the foam layer 12 is preferably 10% by mass or more and 95% by mass or less based on the total mass of the foam layer.

[0019] The foamed layer 12 may contain a water-soluble resin together with the water-insoluble resin as long as the effects of the present embodiment are achieved. The glass transition temperature of the binder resin 14 is preferably from −10° C. to 30° C. By setting the glass transition temperature of the binder resin 14 within the above range, the binder resin 14 can be prevented from interfering with the expansion of the expanded particles 13.

[0020] The mass ratio of the expanded beads 13 to the binder resin 14 is preferably expanded beads 13:binder resin 14=5:95 to 90:10. By setting the mass ratio of the expanded beads 13 to the binder resin 14 within the above range, it is possible to improve both the expandability of the expanded beads 13 and the binding ability of the binder resin 14 to the substrate 11. The foamed layer 12 may further contain components such as pigments, antioxidants, dyes, and surfactants within a range that does not impair the expandability.

[0021] <Foam promoting liquid and foam suppressing liquid> Examples of foaming control liquids for controlling the degree of foaming of the foamed beads include foaming promotion liquids that promote foaming and foaming inhibition liquids that inhibit foaming. In this embodiment, a foaming promotion liquid is used that contains a foaming promotion component that lowers the temperature at which the foamed beads 13 start foaming. When the foaming promotion liquid is applied to the foamed layer 12 of the recording medium 10 by a method such as ejection by an inkjet method or application by a roller, the thermoplastic resin of the shell layer 15 softens. As a result, it is presumed that the temperature at which the foamed beads 13 start foaming can be shifted to a lower temperature.

[0022] The foaming-promoting component is a component capable of softening the thermoplastic resin contained in the shell layer 15 and may be a compound having no hydroxyl group, and may be appropriately selected and used according to the type of thermoplastic resin. Examples include 2-pyrrolidone, dimethyl sulfoxide, N,N-dimethylformamide, and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. The boiling point of the foaming-promoting component, which is a compound having no hydroxyl group, is preferably higher than the temperature at which the foam layer 12 is heated. When the boiling point of the foaming-promoting component is higher than the temperature at which the foam layer 12 is heated, the foaming-promoting component is not vaporized even when the foam layer is heated, and contributes to the softening of the thermoplastic resin of the shell layer 15. The content of the foaming-promoting component is preferably 10% by mass or more and 70% by mass or less based on the total mass of the foaming-promoting liquid.

[0023] The absolute value of the difference (|SP1-SP2|) between the solubility parameter (SP1) of the thermoplastic resin of the shell layer 15 and the solubility parameter (SP2) of the foaming-promoting component is preferably 3.5 or less. When the absolute value of the difference in solubility parameters is within the above range, the foamability of the region to which the foaming-promoting liquid is applied can be further improved.

[0024] In addition, the absolute value of the difference (|HSP1-HSP2|) between the Hansen solubility parameter (HSP1) of the thermoplastic resin of the shell layer 15 and the solubility parameter (HSP2) of the foaming-promoting component is preferably equal to or less than 20. When the absolute value of the difference in Hansen solubility parameters is within the above range, the foamability of the region to which the foaming-promoting liquid is applied can be further improved.

[0025] The solubility parameters (SP values) of the thermoplastic resin and the foaming-promoting component of the shell layer 15 are all values ​​that can be calculated. In addition, the Hansen solubility parameters (HSP values) of the thermoplastic resin and the foaming-promoting component of the shell layer 15 are all values ​​that can be actually measured and calculated by a dynamic light scattering method.

[0026] In addition, when the foaming-promoting component is liquid at room temperature (25°C), the foaming-promoting component itself may be used as the foaming-promoting liquid. The foaming-promoting liquid may further contain components other than the foaming-promoting component. For example, the foaming-promoting liquid may further contain a liquid component such as a solvent for improving the ejection stability. As the solvent, water and various water-soluble organic solvents are used. As the water, it is preferable to use deionized water (ion-exchanged water). As the water-soluble organic solvent, alcohols, glycols, glycol ethers, nitrogen-containing compounds, etc. may be mentioned.

[0027] The components other than the liquid component are water-soluble organic compounds that are solid at a temperature of 25° C., such as urea or its derivatives, trimethylolpropane, and trimethylolethane. Furthermore, the foaming-promoting liquid may contain various additives, such as a pH adjuster, an antifoaming agent, an antirust agent, an antiseptic, an antifungal agent, an antioxidant, an antireducing agent, and a chelating agent, as necessary.

[0028] <Recording device for forming stereoscopic images> FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a recording device 20 used in this embodiment. The recording device 20 of this embodiment is a full-line type inkjet recording device. A recording head 21 having a width equivalent to that of the recording medium 10 and a heating device 29 having a heating means are arranged in parallel in the Y direction. The recording head 21 includes a recording element array 22 in which a plurality of recording elements that eject a foaming-promoting liquid (H) as droplets are arranged. The recording head 21 also includes a total of four recording element arrays 23 to 26 in which a plurality of recording elements that eject ink of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) as droplets, which are colored liquids containing coloring materials, are arranged in one array for each color. The recording element arrays 22 to 26 are arranged in parallel along the transport direction (Y direction in the figure) in which the recording medium is transported. The position of the recording element array 22 that ejects the foaming-promoting liquid may be either the upstream side or the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the recording element arrays 23 to 26 that eject the colored liquid. The foaming-promoting liquid discharged by the recording element array 22 is applied to the foamed layer 12 on the recording medium 10. A heating device 29 is disposed downstream of the recording element arrays 22 to 26 in the transport direction. The heating device 29 may be of any heating type as long as it can heat the foamed particles 13 in the foamed layer 12 to a desired temperature. Examples of the heating device include a dryer, an oven, a heater, and an iron.

[0029] The application operation of applying the foaming-promoting liquid and the colored liquid onto the recording medium 10 is also called a recording process. After applying the foaming-promoting liquid containing a foaming-promoting component onto the recording medium 10 having the foam layer 12, the foam layer 12 of the recording medium 10 is heated. The foamed particles 13 to which the foaming-promoting liquid has been applied expand and foam due to the heating, and a three-dimensional image with a clear convex structure is formed on the recording medium 10. With the rotation of the conveying roller 27, the recording medium 10 is conveyed in the conveying direction at a predetermined speed, and the recording process by the recording head 21 and the heating process by the heating device 29 are performed. At the position where the recording process and the heating process are performed, the recording medium 10 is supported from below by a platen 28 made of a flat plate. This fixes the distance from the recording head 21 and the heating device 29, and maintains smoothness.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the recording head 21. In the recording head 21, each of the recording element arrays 22 to 26 is composed of a plurality of recording element substrates 32. The adjacent recording element substrates 32 are alternately arranged in the Y direction so as to be continuous in the X direction while providing an overlap region D. A plurality of recording elements 31 are arranged on each recording element substrate 32 at a constant pitch. Ink droplets are ejected from the recording elements 31 at a constant frequency according to the recording data onto the recording medium 10 being conveyed in the Y direction at a constant speed, and an image is recorded on the recording medium 10 at a resolution corresponding to the arrangement interval of the recording elements 31.

[0031] <Submission image> FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an image that can be submitted to the recording apparatus 20 of the present embodiment. The submission image is composed of a color plate which is data for applying a colored liquid and a foaming plate which is data for applying a foaming liquid. The dotted line in the figure indicates one pixel.

[0032] FIG. 4(a) is an example of the foaming plate. The black-and-white shading in the foaming plate indicates the region to be foamed and expanded on the recording medium 10 and the degree of its expansion. The foaming plate of the present embodiment is grayscale data having 8-bit information for one color, and the value range is 0 to 255, but the number of bits is not limited and may be 16 bits or the like. In the foaming plate, the high-concentration region indicates the portion to be expanded on the recording medium 10. The higher the pixel concentration (the lower the luminance), the greater the degree of expansion, and the lower the concentration (the higher the luminance), the smaller the degree of expansion. Region 41 has a concentration M, region 42 has a concentration N, and M < N. Region 42 has a higher concentration and a greater degree of expansion. The greater the degree of expansion, the higher the height of the convex structure, and the smaller the degree of expansion, the lower the height of the convex structure.

[0033] Thus, in the foaming plate, a shading pattern is drawn such that the region to be expanded more has a higher concentration. A three-dimensional structure with a desired height can be formed on the recording medium 10 according to the value of each pixel.

[0034] FIG. 4(b) is an example of a color plate corresponding to a colored liquid. The black and white shading in the color plate indicates the color for coloring the recording medium 10. The color plate in this embodiment is RGB data, and the type of data may be standard color information such as sRGB or adobe (registered trademark) RGB. In this embodiment, the image data has 8-bit information for each color, and the value range is 0 to 255, but the number of bits is not limited and may be 16 bits or the like. When creating an input image in PDF or the like, it is necessary to create the foam plate in FIG. 4(a) and the color plate in FIG. 4(b) as separate layers.

[0035] <System configuration> Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the system according to this embodiment. The system according to this embodiment includes the recording device 20 shown in Fig. 2 and a personal computer (PC) 50 serving as its host device.

[0036] The PC 50 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 501, a RAM (Read Only Memory) 502, and a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 503. It further includes a communication I / F 504, an input device I / F 505, and a display device I / F, and each part is connected to each other via an internal bus so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0037] The CPU 501 executes processing in accordance with programs and various data stored in the HDD 503 and RAM 502. The RAM 502 is a volatile storage device and temporarily stores programs and data. The HDD 503 is a non-volatile storage device and stores programs and data.

[0038] The communication I / F 504 is an interface that manages communication with external devices, and in this case, controls the transmission and reception of data with the recording device 20. As a connection method for transmitting and receiving data, a wired connection such as USB, IEEE1394, or LAN (Local Area Network) or a wireless connection such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or WiFi (registered trademark) is used. The input device I / F 505 is an interface that controls a HID (Human Interface Device) such as a keyboard or mouse, and receives input from a user's input device. The display device I / F 506 controls display on a display device such as a display (not shown).

[0039] The recording device 20 includes a CPU 201, a RAM 202, a ROM 203, a communication I / F 204, a head controller 205, and an image processing accelerator 206, and each component is connected to each other via an internal bus so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0040] The CPU 201 executes the processes described below in accordance with the programs and various data stored in the ROM 203 and the RAM 202. The RAM 202 is a volatile storage and temporarily stores the programs and data. The ROM 203 is a non-volatile storage and stores a plurality of programs and lookup table data used in the processes described below.

[0041] The communication I / F 204 is an interface that manages communication with an external device, and in this embodiment, controls data transmission and reception with the PC 50. The head controller 205 controls the recording operation of the recording head 21 shown in FIG. 2 based on the recording data. Specifically, the head controller 205 is configured to read control parameters and head recording data from a predetermined address of the RAM 202. When the CPU 201 writes the control parameters and recording data to a predetermined address of the RAM 202, the head controller 205 starts processing, and the foaming promotion liquid and the colored liquid are ejected from each recording element 31 of the recording head 21. The image processing accelerator 206 is configured by hardware, and executes image processing faster than the CPU 201. Specifically, the image processing accelerator 206 reads parameters and data required for image processing from a predetermined address of the RAM 202. When the CPU 201 writes the parameters and data to a predetermined address of the RAM 202, the image processing accelerator 206 is started, and a predetermined image processing is executed. The image processing accelerator 206 is not necessarily required, and depending on the specifications of the recording device 20, the above table parameter creation process and image processing may be performed by the CPU 201 alone.

[0042] In this embodiment, the recording device 20 and the PC 50 are described as separate devices, but they may be an integrated system. Also, although a PC is given as an example of the host device, the host device is not limited to this and may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or an imaging device.

[0043] <Print service> 6 is a diagram showing a sequence when a print service is performed in the system of this embodiment. Steps S601 to S605 are processes in the PC 50, and steps S611 to S616 are processes in the recording device 20. In this diagram, dashed arrows indicate data transmission and reception. Each step is realized by the CPUs of the PC 50 and the recording device 20 reading and executing programs stored in the storage units. This sequence starts when the recording device 20 is powered on.

[0044] In step S611, after the recording device 20 is powered on, it confirms that it is capable of recording and goes into a standby state, ready to provide the recording service. In step S601, the PC 50 performs recording service discovery. Recording service discovery may involve searching for peripheral devices in accordance with user operations, or may involve periodically searching for recording devices that are ready to provide the recording service. Alternatively, the PC 50 may make an inquiry when the PC 50 and recording device 20 are connected.

[0045] In step S612, when the recording device 20 receives the recording service Discovery from the PC 50, the recording device 20 notifies the PC 50 in response that it is a device that can provide the recording service. In step S602, when the PC 50 receives a notification from the recording device 20 that it can provide the recording service, it requests recordable information from the recording device.

[0046] In step S613, the recording device 20 notifies the PC 50 of information on print services that it can provide in response to the request for recordable information from the recording device 20. Upon receiving the recordable information from the recording device 20, in step S603, the PC 50 constructs a user interface for creating a recording job based on the recordable information. Specifically, based on the recordable information of the recording device 20, options such as the designation of the recording image, the recording size, and the recordable paper size are displayed to the user via a display (not shown). Then, setting input from the user is accepted via an input device (not shown) such as a keyboard.

[0047] In step S604, the PC 50 issues a recording job based on the settings received from the user, and transmits it to the recording device 20. In step S614, the recording device 20 receives the recording job from the PC 50. In step S615, the recording device 20 analyzes the received recording job and executes recording processing. The recording processing based on the recording job will be described later.

[0048] When the recording process ends, in step S616, the recording device 20 notifies the PC 50 of the end of recording. Then, the process on the recording device 20 side is completed and goes into a standby state. In step S605, the PC 50 receives the recording end notification and notifies the user accordingly. Then, the process on the PC 50 side ends.

[0049] In the above explanation, various types of information are transmitted in a communication example in which the PC 50 requests the recording device 20 and the recording device 20 responds to the request. However, the communication is not limited to the above-mentioned so-called pull-type communication example, and may be a so-called push-type communication example in which the recording device 20 spontaneously transmits information to one or more PCs 50 on the network.

[0050] <Processing flow> 7 is a flowchart of image processing for implementing density adjustment of areas to which the foaming-accelerating liquid (H) and black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) inks are applied in this embodiment. This flow is implemented by the CPU 201 of the recording device 20 reading and executing programs and data contained in the ROM 203, etc., in the process of step S615 in FIG. 6. Note that a configuration may be adopted in which part of this flow is executed by the image processing accelerator 206.

[0051] In step S701, the CPU 201 acquires the submitted image (FIG. 4) in the recording job received in step S614 in FIG. 6. Here, the description will be given assuming that the submitted image is acquired page by page. In step S702, the CPU 201 performs rendering processing on the foam plate and the color plate in the submitted image. The rendering resolution is a resolution corresponding to the interval at which the recording elements 31 shown in FIG. 3 are arranged.

[0052] In step S703, the CPU 201 performs edge determination. In this embodiment, the outermost pixels in the area to which the foaming-accelerating liquid is applied and to which the colored liquid is applied are determined to be the edge area. The number of pixels in the edge area may be two or more. Here, FIG. 8(a) is a diagram showing a case in which the foaming plate shown in FIG. 4(a) and the colored plate shown in FIG. 4(b) are recorded on the recording medium 10. On the recording medium 10, a part of the area to which the foaming-accelerating liquid is applied and a part of the area to which the colored liquid is applied overlap. The dotted line in the figure indicates one pixel.

[0053] Region 801 is a region to which the colored liquid is applied. Region 802 is an edge region consisting of pixels that are the outermost pixels of the region where the foaming-accelerating liquid has a concentration of M and overlap with region 801 to which the colored liquid is applied. As an edge processing method for determining this edge region, a Laplacian filter shown in FIG. 8(b) is used to perform filter processing (edge ​​emphasis) on each pixel. Alternatively, a known edge detection method may be used. Region 803 is a region detected as a non-edge region consisting of pixels that do not correspond to an edge region, out of the region where the foaming-accelerating liquid has a concentration of M.

[0054] Region 804 is an edge region made up of pixels that are the outermost pixels of the region where the concentration of the foaming-accelerating liquid is N and that overlap with region 801 to which the colored liquid is applied. Region 805 is a non-edge region made up of pixels that do not correspond to the edge region, of the region where the concentration of the foaming-accelerating liquid is M. These edge determination results are stored in RAM 202.

[0055] Step S704 is a process performed on the foaming plate. The CPU 201 generates a recording signal value for applying the foaming-accelerating liquid based on the data indicated by the foaming plate. The recording signal value (H) of the foaming-accelerating liquid is 8-bit information that specifies the amount of foaming-accelerating liquid applied to each pixel, and has a value range of 0 to 255. The value indicating the least amount of foaming-accelerating liquid applied is "0", and the value indicating the most amount of foaming-accelerating liquid applied is "255". The conversion process in this step S704 may be a known method such as matrix calculation processing or one-dimensional lookup table processing. By this conversion process, a recording signal value (H) of the foaming-accelerating liquid composed of one element is generated. Here, an example of the conversion process using a one-dimensional lookup table as conversion data will be described.

[0056] The following formula 1 shows a function 1D_LUT[Gray] of the one-dimensional lookup table. The variable Gray is the value of each pixel of the foam plate. H=1D_LUT[Gray]...(Formula 1) The above 1D_LUT is composed of 256 data tables. In order to reduce the amount of data in the lookup table, for example, the number of grids may be reduced from 256 to 64, and the result may be calculated by an interpolation operation using 64 data tables. Other than 64 grids, a suitable number of grids such as 32 grids or 16 grids may be set as appropriate. As for the interpolation operation method, any method such as a known one-dimensional linear interpolation may be used. In this embodiment, a predefined one-dimensional lookup table is stored in the ROM 203 of the recording device 20.

[0057] Steps S705 to S706 are processes performed on the color planes. In step S705, CPU 201 performs color correction processing based on the data indicated by the color planes. The image data after color correction processing is RGB data, but at this point, it is assumed that the data is in RGB format specialized for recording device 20, that is, device RGB format. In the color correction processing, known methods such as matrix calculation processing and three-dimensional lookup table processing are used, and the data is converted into device color image data of color signals composed of three elements. Here, an example of color correction processing using a three-dimensional lookup table as a conversion table will be described.

[0058] The following formulas 2 to 4 are functions of the three-dimensional lookup table, 3D_LUT[R][G][B][N]. The variables R, G, and B are input with RGB data values, respectively. The variable N is specified with one of R', G', and B' to be output. Here, it is assumed that 0, 1, and 2 are specified as R', G', and B', respectively. R'=3D_LUT[R][G][B][0]...(Formula 2) G'=3D_LUT[R][G][B][1]...(Formula 3) B'=3D_LUT[R][G][B][2]...(Formula 4) The above 3D_LUT is composed of 256×256×256×3=50331648 data tables. In order to reduce the amount of data in the lookup table, for example, the number of grids may be reduced from 256 to 17, and the result may be calculated by interpolation using 17×17×17×3=14739 data tables. In addition to 17 grids, a suitable number of grids may be set, such as 16 grids, 9 grids, or 8 grids. As for the interpolation method, any method, such as known tetrahedral interpolation, may be used. In this embodiment, a predefined three-dimensional lookup table is stored in the ROM 203 of the recording device 20.

[0059] In step S706, the CPU 201 generates a print signal value for applying colored liquid using a three-dimensional lookup table based on the color-corrected R', G', and B' data. The print signal value (C) specifies the amount of cyan (C) ink to be applied to each pixel. Similarly, the print signal value (M) specifies the amount of magenta (M) ink, the print signal value (Y) specifies the amount of yellow (Y) ink, and the print signal value (K) specifies the amount of black (K) ink to be applied. The print signal value for each color is 8-bit information, and the value range is 0 to 255. The value indicating the least amount of colored liquid to be applied is "0", and the value indicating the most amount of colored liquid to be applied is "255". In this embodiment, a conversion process is performed to convert the colored liquid into the print signal value using the three-dimensional lookup table as follows. The following formulas 5 to 8 are functions 3D_LUT[R'][G'][B'][N] of the three-dimensional lookup table. The variables R', G', and B' are input with the values ​​of R'G'B' data, and the variable N is specified as the output C, M, Y, or K. Here, 0, 1, 2, and 3 are specified as C, M, Y, and K, respectively. C=3D_LUT[R][G][B][0] (Formula 5) M=3D_LUT[R][G][B][1] (Formula 6) Y=3D_LUT[R][G][B][2] (Formula 7) K=3D_LUT[R][G][B][3] (Formula 8) The above three-dimensional look-up table is held for each recording signal value (H) of the foaming accelerator liquid. In the conversion process of the color liquid to the recording signal value, based on the signal value of the recording signal value (H) and the information of the edge region and non-edge region stored in the RAM 202, the three-dimensional look-up table used for the conversion process is selected for each pixel. As an example, when the pixel value after color correction of the region 43 shown in Fig. 4(b) is ((R’, G’, B’) = (0, 255, 255), the signal value of the three-dimensional look-up table applied to the pixel 801 is (C, M, Y, K) = (C1, 0, 0, 0). Also, the signal value of the three-dimensional look-up table applied to the pixel 802 is (C, M, Y, K) = (C2, 0, 0, 0). The signal value of the three-dimensional look-up table applied to the pixel 803 is (C, M, Y, K) = (C3, 0, 0, 0). The signal value of the three-dimensional look-up table applied to the pixel 804 is (C, M, Y, K) = (C4, 0, 0, 0). The signal value of the three-dimensional look-up table applied to the pixel 805 is (C, M, Y, K) = (C5, 0, 0, 0). And the relationship C1 < C3 < C5 is satisfied. The larger the signal value of the recording signal value (H) of the foaming accelerator liquid, that is, the larger the amount of the foaming accelerator liquid applied, the recording signal value of the color liquid is generated such that the amount of the color liquid applied increases. Also, the relationships C3 < C2 and C5 < C4 are satisfied. That is, among the regions where the foaming accelerator liquid is applied, the amount of the color liquid applied to the edge is controlled to be larger than the amount of the color liquid applied to the internal region (non-edge) that is not the edge. In this example, only the amount of cyan (C) ink applied is adjusted, but by further adjusting the amounts of black (K), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) inks applied, fine density adjustment can be controlled. Even in the case of colors of secondary colors or higher formed using multiple types of inks, as long as the recording signal value (H) of the foam control liquid is larger, the total amount of the color liquid applied to each pixel may be increased.

[0060] When using the above three-dimensional lookup table, the amount of data in the lookup table may be reduced. For example, a three-dimensional lookup table is prepared only for two signal values ​​of the recording signal value (H) of the foaming-promoting liquid, namely, "0" and "255". When the recording signal value (H) of the foaming-promoting liquid is 1 to 254, the three-dimensional lookup table of each recording signal value (H) may be calculated by interpolation from the three-dimensional lookup table of "0" and "255". In this embodiment, a predefined three-dimensional lookup table is held in the ROM 203 of the recording device 20, etc.

[0061] In step S707, the CPU 201 performs quantization processing based on the recording signal value (H) of the foaming accelerating liquid and the recording signal values ​​(K), (C), (M), and (Y) of the colored liquid. The quantization processing can use various quantization levels such as binary, ternary, and 16-value. In general, during binary processing, the recording signal value (K), recording signal value (C), recording signal value (M), and recording signal value (Y) are converted into 1-bit data for black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y), respectively. This 1-bit data indicates whether or not droplets of the colored liquid are applied, that is, whether or not dots of the colored liquid are formed on the recording medium 10. The quantization processing method uses known pseudo-halftone processing such as a dither matrix method or an error diffusion method.

[0062] In step S708, the quantized data is transferred to the head controller 205. Then, based on the quantized data, colored liquid of each color is ejected from the recording element 31 and applied to the recording medium 10. After the colored liquid is applied to the recording medium 10 and an image is recorded, the quantized data is stored in the RAM 202 for a fixed period of time.

[0063] In step S709, CPU 201 determines whether image recording for the page is complete. If it is complete, that is, if the determination in step S709 is YES, this processing flow ends and proceeds to processing of the next page or to processing in step S616 in Fig. 6. If it is not complete, that is, if the determination in step S709 is NO, the process returns to step S701 and continues processing for the page.

[0064] As described above with reference to Figs. 7 and 8, in this embodiment, the amount of colored liquid applied is controlled according to the amount of foaming-promoting liquid applied. The greater the amount of foaming-promoting liquid applied, i.e., the greater the degree to which the foam particles are foamed, the greater the change in surface area and the height of the convex structure due to foaming, so that even if the same amount of colored liquid is applied, the area with a greater degree of foaming appears to have a lower density. In contrast, even if the color shown by the colored liquid plate is the same, the amount of colored liquid applied is determined so that more colored liquid is applied to the area with a greater degree of foaming. This makes it possible to suppress color differences in the printed matter caused by the degree of foaming.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the foam particles in the region to which the foaming promoting liquid is applied foam when heated, and the region to which the foaming promoting liquid is not applied does not foam even when heated. The present invention is not limited to this, and may be an embodiment using a foaming inhibiting liquid. The region to which a large amount of foaming inhibiting liquid is applied has a small degree of foaming due to heating, and the region to which a small amount of foaming inhibiting liquid is applied has a large degree of foaming due to heating. As described above, in order to reduce the difference between the color of the region to be foamed and the color of the region to be not foamed, the amount of colored ink applied to the region to be foamed may be made larger than the amount of colored ink applied to the region to be not foamed. Therefore, the amount of colored liquid applied to the region to which a small amount of foaming inhibiting liquid is applied may be made larger than the amount of colored liquid applied to the region to which a large amount of foaming inhibiting liquid is applied. Depending on the function of the foaming inhibiting liquid, the region to which the foaming inhibiting liquid is applied may not foam at all even when heated, and the degree of foaming may change depending on the amount of foaming inhibiting liquid, so the amount of colored liquid applied may be changed stepwise depending on the function of the foaming control liquid.

[0066] Second embodiment In the first embodiment, an example was described in which a three-dimensional lookup table to be applied when generating the recording signal value of the colored liquid was selected according to the recording signal value (H) of the foaming-accelerating liquid. In this embodiment, one type of three-dimensional lookup table is applied when converting the recording signal value of the colored liquid.

[0067] 9 is a flowchart showing the process in this embodiment. An example is shown in which the recording signal value (K), the recording signal value (C), the recording signal value (M) and the recording signal value (Y) are adjusted according to the recording signal value (H) of the foaming control liquid. Steps S901 to S905 and steps S907 to S909 are similar to the processes described in the first embodiment.

[0068] In step S906, the three-dimensional lookup table is applied. In this embodiment, regardless of the recording signal value (H) of the foaming control liquid, only one type of three-dimensional lookup table is prepared. The conversion process of the recording signal value of the colored liquid is the same as the method shown in step S706.

[0069] In step S910, the CPU 201 performs density adjustment on the converted recording signal value data of the colored liquid using a two-dimensional lookup table.

[0070] The following formulas 9 to 12 are functions 2D_LUT_C[H][C] of the two-dimensional lookup table for cyan (C). Data values ​​of variables H and C are input. Similarly, density adjustment is performed for M, Y, and K using the two-dimensional lookup table. C'=2D_LUT_C[H][C] (Formula 9) M'=2D_LUT_M[H][M] (Equation 10) Y'=2D_LUT_Y[H][Y] (Formula 11) K'=2D_LUT_K[H][K] (Formula 12) The above 2D_LUT is composed of 65536 data tables of 256×256. In order to reduce the amount of data in the lookup table, for example, the number of grids may be reduced from 256 to 17, and the result may be calculated by interpolation using 289 data tables of 17×17. In addition to 17 grids, a suitable number of grids may be set, such as 16 grids, 9 grids, or 8 grids. Any known method such as two-dimensional linear interpolation may be used as the interpolation method. In this embodiment, the two-dimensional lookup table is predefined for each of the edge region and the non-edge region, and is stored in the ROM 203 of the recording device 20.

[0071] Next, the total amount of application (SUM) for each pixel is calculated by adding up the values ​​of (C', M', Y', K') obtained using the two-dimensional lookup table. Then, for each pixel, it is determined whether the total amount of application (SUM) is equal to or less than the maximum amount of application (TH) of the recording medium 10. If the total amount of application (SUM) for all pixels is equal to or less than the maximum amount of application (TH) of the recording medium 10, (C', M', Y', K') is set as the signal value after density adjustment. If one or more pixels are included in which the total amount of application (SUM) exceeds the maximum amount of application (TH) of the recording medium 10, the following formulas 13 to 17 are used. A ratio (R) is calculated from the total amount of application (SUM_MAX) of the pixel with the largest total amount of application and the maximum amount of application (TH), and C', M', Y', K' are adjusted based on the ratio R. R=TH / SUM_MAX (Formula 13) C'=C'×R...(Formula 14) M'=M'×R...(Formula 15) Y' = Y' × R (Equation 16) K'=K'×R...(Formula 17) The (C', M', Y', K') calculated by the above formulas 13 to 17 are regarded as signal values ​​after density adjustment.

[0072] 9, in this embodiment, the total amount of the colored liquids applied is calculated based on the amount of the foaming-promoting liquid (H) applied, and the amount of each color applied is corrected based on the total amount and the maximum amount applied. This allows the amount of colored liquid to be corrected according to the amount of foaming-promoting liquid applied, making it possible to suppress color differences in printed matter caused by the degree of foaming.

[0073] (Other embodiments) In the above embodiment, an example of applying the foaming control liquid using an inkjet recording head has been described, but the means for applying the component that controls the degree of foaming is not limited to the inkjet recording head. A method of applying the foaming control liquid to the recording medium using a roller or the like, or other application methods such as an electrophotographic method may also be used. Furthermore, the method of controlling the degree of foaming may not only apply the foaming control liquid to a recording medium containing foamed particles, but also apply foamed particles to the recording medium.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the foaming particles that expand when heated are described as an example, but the foaming method is not limited to heating. The present invention can be applied to foaming particles that expand when some energy is added, such as when light having a specific wavelength is irradiated, and not limited to a method of foaming with thermal energy. In the above embodiment, the foaming promotion liquid that controls the degree of foaming has a function of lowering the temperature at which the foaming particles start to expand, but the function of the foaming promotion liquid is not limited to this. When the same energy is applied, the foaming promotion liquid may have a function of making the foaming particles more likely to expand by applying the foaming promotion liquid, or may have a function of increasing the number of foaming particles that actually expand. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 10 Recording media 11 Base material 12 Foam layer 13. Foam particles 20 Recording Device 21 Recording head

Claims

1. a supplying means for supplying a foaming control liquid for controlling the degree of foaming of the foamed particles and a colored liquid containing a coloring material to a recording medium having a foamed layer formed on a base material and containing foamed particles that foam when energy is applied thereto; a generating means for generating a colored liquid recording signal value indicating the amount of the colored liquid applied onto the recording medium based on colored liquid data corresponding to the colored liquid, and a foaming control liquid recording signal value indicating the amount of the foaming control liquid applied onto the recording medium based on foaming control liquid data corresponding to the foaming control liquid; a control means for controlling the application operation of the application means based on the generated recording signal value of the colored liquid and the generated recording signal value of the foaming control liquid; Equipped with A recording device characterized in that, when the data for the colored liquid indicates that the color of the first region and the color of the second region are the same, and when the data for the foaming control liquid indicates that the degree to which the first region is foamed is greater than the degree to which the second region is foamed, the generation means generates a recording signal value for the colored liquid so that the amount of the colored liquid applied to the first region is greater than the amount of the colored liquid applied to the second region.

2. The expanded particles are expanded by thermal energy, 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the foaming control liquid lowers a temperature at which the foaming particles start to foam.

3. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the foaming control liquid is a foaming promotion liquid that promotes foaming of the foaming particles.

4. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in the data on the foaming control liquid, the amount of the foaming accelerating liquid applied to the first region is greater than the amount of the foaming accelerating liquid applied to the second region.

5. a storage unit for storing a plurality of conversion data for generating a recording signal value of the colored liquid from the data of the colored liquid, 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said generating means generates a recording signal value of said colored liquid by using any one of said plurality of conversion data in accordance with data of said foaming control liquid.

6. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said generating means generates a recording signal value of said colored liquid so as not to exceed a predetermined maximum application amount.

7. The recording device described in claim 1, characterized in that the generation means detects, in the data of the foaming control liquid, the outermost pixels of the area to which the foaming control liquid is applied, and the pixels to which the colored liquid is applied, as edge areas, and detects areas of the area to which the foaming control liquid is applied that are not edge areas, as non-edge areas, and generates recording signal values ​​of the colored liquid so that the amount of the colored liquid applied to the edge areas is greater than the amount of the colored liquid applied to the non-edge areas.

8. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the foamed particles are thermally expandable microcapsules having a shell layer containing a thermoplastic resin and a volatile material encapsulated in the shell layer.

9. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the foaming control liquid is a foaming suppression liquid that suppresses foaming of the foam particles.

10. A recording method comprising the steps of: applying a foaming control liquid for controlling the degree of foaming of the foamed particles and a colored liquid containing a coloring material to a recording medium having a foamed layer formed on a base material and containing foamed particles that foam when energy is applied thereto, the method comprising the steps of: applying a colored liquid in an amount based on the data of the colored liquid, and applying the foaming control liquid in an amount based on the data of the foaming control liquid; A recording method characterized in that, when the data for the colored liquid indicates that the color of the first area and the color of the second area are the same, and when the data for the foaming control liquid indicates that the degree to which the first area is foamed is greater than the degree to which the second area is foamed, the colored liquid is applied so that the amount of the colored liquid applied to the first area is greater than the amount of the colored liquid applied to the second area.

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