Image processing apparatus, image processing method and program

Abstract

To prevent a decrease in the forming height of an edge of a forming region that may occur when a foaming promotion component is applied to a recording medium including a foaming layer containing foamable particles to foam.SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus according to the present invention detects an edge pixel located inside a forming region at a border between the foaming region and a non-foaming region and increases an amount of application of the foaming promotion component, thereby being able to prevent a decrease in a forming height.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a program for recording an image on a recording medium.

Background Art

[0002] A recording medium including a foam layer that foams by heat is known, and a stereoscopic image forming system that forms a stereoscopic image by foaming a desired region is known.

[0003] The stereoscopic image forming system records a corresponding grayscale image on the back surface of the surface to be foamed in order to foam a desired region. The density of the grayscale image corresponds to the foam height, and the surface foam height is controlled by controlling the image density.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses adjusting the density of the edge of a grayscale image to control the edge of the surface foam to be steep.

[0005] Patent Document 2 discloses that the foaming of the foaming agent of the recording medium is suppressed by applying a foam suppressing component to a recording medium containing a vinyl chloride resin as a foaming agent.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] When forming a foamed area on a recording medium, there is a problem that the foaming height at the edge of the area to be foamed becomes low. For example, in a configuration where a foaming promoting component is applied to the surface of a recording medium provided with a foamed layer to form a foamed area, the amount of the foaming promoting component spreading from the surroundings is small inside the edge of the foamed area. Therefore, the foaming height at the edge of the foamed area is lower than the foaming height at the central part of the area where the foaming promoting component is applied. As a result, the visibility as a foamed area may decrease, or it may become lower than the foaming height specified by the user.

[0008] In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to control so that the foaming height at the edge of the foamed area does not decrease.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] The present invention includes an applying means for applying a foaming promoting component that promotes the foaming property of foaming particles to a recording medium having a foamed layer containing the foaming particles to be foamed, a foaming means for foaming the foaming particles by applying energy to the recording medium to which the foaming promoting component has been applied by the applying means, an acquiring means for acquiring foaming data in which a gradation value for applying the foaming promoting component is set for each pixel, a detecting means for detecting inner edge pixels located inside the boundary between a non-foaming area where the foaming particles are not foamed and a foaming area where the foaming particles are foamed based on the foaming data, and a generating means for generating a gradation value so that the amount of the foaming promoting component applied increases for the inner edge pixels detected by the detecting means.

Effects of the Invention

[0010] Since the present invention can form a three-dimensional image having an inner edge with a suppressed decrease in foaming height in the foamed area, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the visibility of the foamed area.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

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BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0012] (First Embodiment) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Although a plurality of features are described in the following embodiments, not all of these plurality of features are essential to the present invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

[0013] <Overview of the recording apparatus> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a recording apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. The conveyance rollers 108, 109, 110, and 111 are each paired with a conveyance roller (not shown) that sandwiches the recording medium 112, and convey the recording medium 112 in the Y direction shown in FIG. 1.

[0014] The recording unit 101 of the present embodiment records an image on the recording medium 112 by applying ink by an inkjet (IJ) recording method that ejects ink. The recording head 102 ejects a foam control ink (F) containing a foam control component. The recording head 103 ejects black ink (K). The recording head 104 ejects cyan ink (C). The recording head 105 ejects magenta ink (M). The recording head 106 ejects yellow ink (Y). The recording medium 112 is conveyed in the Y direction, and each recording head includes a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink in the X direction intersecting the Y direction. In the present embodiment, the recording heads 102, 103, 104, 105, and 106 are arranged in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the Y direction in the figure. Therefore, the ink is applied to the recording medium 112 in the order of F, K, C, M, and Y. The inks containing the colorants of K, C, M, and Y are collectively referred to as "color inks".

[0015] The heating unit 107 heats the recording medium 112 and the ink applied to the recording medium 112. Although details will be described later, in the present embodiment, a foam promoting liquid containing a foam promoting component is used as the foam control ink. When the recording medium 112 contains foam particles that foam due to heat, the region where the foam promoting liquid is applied foams due to the heat from the heating unit 107. Also, regardless of the type of the recording medium 112, the water in the ink evaporates due to the heat applied by the heating unit 107 for the color ink applied to the recording medium 112, and the ink is fixed on the surface of the recording medium 112.

[0016] <Outline of the Recording System Configuration> FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of a recording system including the recording apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 and a host apparatus connected to the recording apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 2, this recording system includes the recording apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 and a PC (personal computer) 200 as its host apparatus.

[0017] The PC200 includes a CPU201, a RAM202, an HDD203, a data transfer interface (I / F) 204, a keyboard / mouse interface (I / F) 205, and a display interface (I / F) 206.

[0018] The CPU201 executes processing according to programs held in the HDD203 and the RAM202. The RAM202 is a volatile storage that temporarily holds programs and data. Also, the HDD203 is a non-volatile storage that holds programs and data as well. The data transfer I / F204 controls the transmission and reception of data with the recording device 100. As this data transmission / reception transfer method, a wired connection such as USB, IEEE1394, LAN, or a wireless connection such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), WiFi can be used. The keyboard / mouse (registered trademark) I / F205 is an interface that controls a UI (user interface) such as a keyboard and a mouse, and the user can input information into the PC200 through this. The display I / F206 controls the display on a display (not shown).

[0019] On the other hand, the recording device 100 includes a CPU211, a RAM212, a ROM213, a data transfer interface (I / F) 214, a head controller 215, and an image processing accelerator 216.

[0020] The CPU211 executes the processing of each of the embodiments described later according to programs held in the ROM213 and the RAM212. The RAM212 is a volatile storage that temporarily holds programs and data. Also, the ROM213 is a non-volatile storage that holds table data and programs used in the processing of each of the embodiments described later. Also, the data transfer I / F214 controls the transmission and reception of data with the PC200.

[0021] The head controller 215 controls the recording operation for each recording head 102 - 106 of the recording unit 101 based on the recording data. Specifically, the head controller 215 is configured to read the control parameters and recording data from a predetermined address of the RAM 212. That is, when the CPU 211 writes the control parameters and recording data to a predetermined address of the RAM 212, the process is activated by the head controller 215, and the recording operation of the recording head is performed.

[0022] The image processing accelerator 216 is configured by hardware and executes image processing faster than the CPU 211. Specifically, the image processing accelerator 216 is configured to read the parameters and data necessary for image processing from a predetermined address of the RAM 212. Then, when the CPU 211 writes the above parameters and data to a predetermined address of the RAM 212, the image processing accelerator 216 is activated, and predetermined image processing is performed.

[0023] Note that the image processing accelerator 216 is not necessarily an essential component, and depending on the specifications of the recording device, etc., predetermined image processing may be executed only by the processing of the CPU 211.

[0024] <Outline of the Configuration of the Recording Head> FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the recording head 102. The recording head 102 shown in FIG. 3(a) includes a plurality of recording chips 301, and each recording chip 301 includes a plurality of recording nozzles 302. The recording chip 301 includes a circuit for driving a recording element for ejecting ink from the recording nozzle 302. Examples of the recording element include a heater element and a piezo element. The recording nozzles are arranged in two columns in the Y direction as a set, and each recording nozzle column is arranged in the X direction at a pitch of 600 dpi. Also, the two columns of recording nozzle columns are arranged shifted by 1200 dpi in the X direction. Further, each recording chip 301 includes three sets of the two-column configuration in the Y direction (not shown).

[0025] A plurality of recording chips 301 are arranged in the X direction, and two recording chips 301 and the recording nozzles in the same column between the recording chips 301 are arranged at an interval of 600 dpi. Each nozzle row arranged on the recording chip 301 has 600 recording nozzles 302 arranged in the X direction. That is, one recording chip 301 has a recording width of 1 inch in the X direction. By applying the foam control ink ejected by the inkjet method from each recording nozzle 302, an image is recorded on the recording medium 112. The recording head 102 of this embodiment includes 13 recording chips 301 in the X direction and can record an image with a width of 13 inches, that is, about 330 mm, in the X direction. The recording resolution in the X direction is 1200 dpi. Also, the recording resolution in the Y direction is 1200 dpi. The ejection frequency, which is the number of times that can be ejected per second from each recording head 102, is controlled to 10 KHz, and by transporting the recording medium 112 in the Y direction at about 8.33 inches / second, the recording resolution in the Y direction is controlled to be 1200 dpi. As described above, each recording chip 301 has a set of two rows of recording nozzles 302 in the Y direction, and the two rows of recording nozzle rows are arranged with a shift of 1200 dpi in the X direction. The recording nozzles in each row are arranged at an interval of 600 dpi in the X direction. By providing three sets of this set in the Y direction, a maximum of three ink droplets can be applied to the same pixel in the Y direction.

[0026] The recording heads 103, 104, 105, and 106 have the same configuration as the recording head 102 in FIG. 3(a) described above, so the description is omitted. The inks of F, C, M, Y, and K are applied to the recording medium 112 in a size of 2 pl per drop. Also, each ink of F, C, M, Y, and K is adjusted to 2 ng per 2 pl. Since a maximum of three drops of each ink are applied to one pixel of 1200 dpi square, a maximum of 6 pl, that is, 6 ng, can be applied.

[0027] FIG. 3(b) is a diagram showing another configuration example of the recording head 102. The recording head 102 includes recording chips 303, 304, and 305, and each of the recording chips 303 to 305 includes a plurality of recording nozzles 306. The recording nozzle array has a two-column configuration in the Y direction, and a plurality of recording nozzles in each column are arranged in the X direction at intervals of 600 dpi. Further, the two recording nozzle arrays are arranged with a shift of 1200 dpi in the X direction. The recording chips 303 to 305 are arranged with a shift in the X direction and the Y direction. The recording chip 303 and the recording chip 304 are arranged such that the right end 2 pixels × 2 columns of the recording chip 303 and the left end 2 pixels × 2 columns of the recording chip 304 overlap in the X direction. The recording chip 304 is arranged shifted in the + side in the Y direction so as not to physically overlap with the recording chip 303. Similarly, the recording chip 304 and the recording chip 305 are arranged such that the right end 2 pixels × 2 columns of the recording chip 304 and the left end 2 pixels × 2 columns of the recording chip 305 overlap in the X direction. The recording chip 305 is arranged shifted in the - side in the Y direction so as not to physically overlap with the recording chip 304. The arrangement shown in FIG. 3(b) is a repetition of arranging the recording chip 304 with respect to the recording chip 305 in the same way as the arrangement of the recording chip 304 with respect to the recording chip 303. The overlapping recording nozzles 306 disperse the ejection frequency at a predetermined ratio so that ink is not applied to the same area on the recording medium 112.

[0028] In FIG. 3(a), the recording nozzles 302 of each recording chip 301 do not overlap, but an overlapping configuration may also be used. The overlapping recording nozzles 302 need to disperse the ejection frequency at a predetermined ratio so that ink is not applied to the same area of the recording medium 112.

[0029] <Recording medium having a foaming layer> FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a recording medium used for forming a stereoscopic image according to the present embodiment. The recording medium 400 has a base material 401 and a foaming layer 402 provided on the base material 401.

[0030] The base material 401 functions as a support for supporting the foam layer 402. The type of the base material 401 is not particularly limited. Examples of the base material 401 include paper made of ordinary natural pulp, kenaf paper, plastic film sheets such as polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyester. Further, so-called synthetic paper or non-woven fabric obtained by papermaking synthetic fibers, synthetic pulp, or synthetic resin films can be mentioned.

[0031] The foam layer 402 is provided on at least one surface of the base material 401 and contains foam particles 403 and a binder resin 404. The foam particles 403 are thermally expandable microcapsules and are composed of a capsule-shaped shell layer 405 containing a thermoplastic resin and a volatile material 406 encapsulated in the shell layer 405. When heat is applied to the foam particles 403, the thermoplastic resin constituting the shell layer 405 softens and the volatile material 406 encapsulated in the shell layer 405 vaporizes. In this way, the volume of the foam particles 403 increases and becomes like a balloon, which is called foaming.

[0032] Examples of the thermoplastic resin contained in the shell layer include the following: polystyrene, styrene-acrylic acid ester copolymer, polyamide resin, polyacrylate, polyvinylidene chloride, polyacrylonitrile, polymethyl methacrylate. Further, vinylidene chloride-acrylonitrile, methacrylic acid ester-acrylic acid copolymer, vinylidene chloride-acrylic acid copolymer, vinylidene chloride-acrylic acid ester copolymer, and the like.

[0033] Examples of the volatile material include the following: ethane, ethylene, propane, propene, n-butane, isobutane, n-pentane, isopentane, neopentane, n-hexane, heptane, petroleum ether, etc. Further, they are chlorofluorocarbons such as CCl3F, CCl2F2, CClF3, CClF2-CClF2. Furthermore, they are tetraalkylsilanes such as tetramethylsilane, trimethylethylsilane, trimethylisopropylsilane, trimethyl-n-propylsilane. The volatile material is preferably a hydrocarbon having a molecular weight of 120 or less. There is no particular limitation on the lower limit of the molecular weight of the volatile material, but for example, it is preferably 50 or more. The content of the foamed particles in the foamed layer is preferably 5% by mass or more and 95% by mass or less based on the total mass of the foamed layer.

[0034] The foamed layer 402 contains a binder resin 404 for enhancing the adhesion to the base material 401. When the foamed particles 403 in the foamed layer are foamed by heat, the binder resin is used to suppress the peeling of the foamed layer 402 from the base material 401. As the binder resin, a water-insoluble resin is used. Since the water-insoluble resin is hardly dissolved by water in the foaming promoting liquid as the foaming control ink, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the adhesion between the foamed layer and the base material due to the foaming promoting liquid. Further, even when an aqueous ink containing water is applied to the recording medium, for the same reason, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the adhesion between the foamed layer 402 and the base material 401.

[0035] The water-insoluble resin refers to a resin in which 95% by mass or more remains when the resin is immersed in warm water at 80°C for 2 hours. The water-insoluble resin is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of acrylic resins and urethane resins. Further, the water-insoluble resin is more preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of acrylic resins having no ester group and urethane resins having no ester group. The water-insoluble resin is preferably a non-water-absorbent resin. The content of the water-insoluble resin in the foam layer 402 is preferably 10% by mass or more and 95% by mass or less based on the total mass of the foam layer 402. The foam layer 402 may contain a water-soluble resin together with the water-insoluble resin as long as the effects of the present invention can be obtained. The glass transition temperature of the binder resin is preferably -10°C or higher and 30°C or lower. By setting the glass transition temperature of the binder resin within the above range, it is possible to suppress the binder resin from hindering the foaming of the foam particles 403.

[0036] The mass ratio of the foam particles 403 to the binder resin is preferably foam particles: binder resin = 5:95 to 90:10. By setting the mass ratio of the foam particles to the binder resin within the above range, it is possible to improve both the foamability of the foam particles 403 and the adhesiveness to the base material by the binder resin. The foam layer 402 can further contain components such as pigments, antioxidants, dyes, and surfactants as long as the foamability is not impaired.

[0037] <Foam control ink> Next, the details of the foam promoting liquid used as the foam control ink in the present embodiment will be described. The foam promoting liquid contains a foam promoting component that lowers the foam start temperature of the foam particles 403. When the foam promoting liquid is applied to the foam layer 402 of the recording medium by ejection or coating by an inkjet method, the thermoplastic resin contained in the shell layer 405 of the foam particles 403 is softened. As a result, it is presumed that the foam start temperature and the maximum foam temperature of the foam particles 403 shift to the low temperature side.

[0038] As the foaming promoting component, any compound that softens the thermoplastic resin contained in the shell layer 405 of the foaming particles 403 and does not have a hydroxyl group can be used, and it can be appropriately selected and used according to the type of thermoplastic resin and the like. Examples of the foaming promoting component include 2-pyrrolidone, dimethyl sulfoxide, N,N-dimethylformamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and the like. The boiling point of the compound without a hydroxyl group, which is the foaming promoting component, is preferably higher than the temperature at which the foaming layer 402 is heated. When the foaming layer 402 is heated, if the boiling point of the compound is higher than the temperature at which the foaming layer 402 is heated, it will not vaporize and can contribute to the softening of the thermoplastic resin in the shell layer 405 of the foaming particles 403. The content of the compound without a hydroxyl group, which is 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.

[0039] The absolute value (|SP1 - SP2|) of the difference between the solubility parameter (SP1) of the thermoplastic resin forming the shell layer 405 of the foaming particles 403, which are microcapsules, and the solubility parameter (SP2) of the foaming promoting component is preferably 3.5 or less. By having the absolute value of the difference in solubility parameters within the above numerical range, the foamability of the region to which the foaming promoting liquid containing the foaming promoting component in the foaming layer 402 is applied can be further improved.

[0040] Also, the absolute value (|HSP1 - HSP2|) of the difference between the Hansen solubility parameter (HSP1) of the thermoplastic resin forming the shell layer 405 of the foaming particles 403 and the solubility parameter (HSP2) of the foaming promoting component is preferably 20 or less. By having the absolute value of the difference in Hansen solubility parameters within the above numerical range, the foamability of the region to which the foaming promoting liquid containing the foaming promoting component in the foaming layer 402 is applied can be further improved.

[0041] The solubility parameters (SP values) of the thermoplastic resin and the foam promoting component forming the shell layer 405 are all values calculated by calculation. Further, the Hansen solubility parameters (HSP values) of the thermoplastic resin and the foam promoting component forming the shell layer are all measured and calculated actual values by the dynamic light scattering method.

[0042] When the foam promoting component is a liquid at normal temperature (25 °C), the foam promoting component itself may be used as the foam promoting liquid. Further, the foam promoting liquid may further contain components other than the foam promoting component (other components). For example, in order to improve the discharge stability of the foam promoting liquid, a liquid component such as a solvent may be further contained. As the solvent, water and various water-soluble organic solvents can be used. As water, deionized water (ion-exchanged water) is preferably used. Examples of the water-soluble organic solvent include alcohols, glycols, glycol ethers, and nitrogen-containing compounds.

[0043] As other components other than the liquid component, water-soluble organic compounds that are solid at a temperature of 25 °C, such as urea and its derivatives, trimethylolpropane, and trimethylolethane, can be used. Further, if necessary, various additives such as a pH adjuster, an antifoaming agent, a rust preventive agent, a preservative, a fungicide, an antioxidant, a reduction preventive agent, and a chelating agent may be contained in the foam promoting liquid.

[0044] <Control of Foaming Height> FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the application amount of the foam promoting liquid to the recording medium 400 including the foam layer 402, the gradation value for controlling the application amount, and the foaming height. FIG. 5(a) is a diagram showing the relationship between the foaming height and the gradation value corresponding to the application amount of the foam promoting liquid to the recording medium 400 including the foam layer 402. In this figure, the horizontal axis is the gradation value corresponding to the application amount of the foam promoting liquid, which is the gradation value per pixel in a 1200 dpi square. The vertical axis is the foaming height of one pixel in a 1200 dpi square when heated by the heating unit 107 at a heating temperature of 95 °C and a heating time of 15 seconds. The foaming height of the foam layer 402 can be controlled according to the gradation value corresponding to the foam promoting liquid.

[0045] <Foaming data processing> FIG. 6 is a block diagram for explaining foaming data processing when a foaming accelerator liquid is applied to a recording medium 400 including a foaming layer 402. The foaming data processing in this figure is performed in the PC 200.

[0046] The foaming data height setting unit 601 sets the tone value corresponding to the desired foaming height. The foaming data is input as 8-bit α-channel data with a resolution of 1200 dpi separately from the 8-bit RGB data of each color of the color image described later. This data is called α data. The desired foaming height is set by operating a keyboard / mouse connected to the keyboard / mouse I / F 205 via a UI displayed on a display (not shown) connected to the display I / F 206. For example, the maximum value of the foaming height desired by the user is received from the UI.

[0047] The foaming data height setting unit 601 sets the tone value corresponding to the maximum value of the foaming height desired by the user based on the graph in FIG. 5(a). Here, the case where a foaming height of 0.4 mm is set from the UI will be described as an example. By referring to the graph in FIG. 5(a), it can be derived that the tone value corresponding to a foaming height of 0.4 mm is 200. The foaming data height setting unit 601 detects the maximum value in the acquired α data. Then, it is set so that the detected maximum value becomes 200, which is the tone value corresponding to the maximum value of the foaming height set by the UI. Then, the input α data is converted into α' data based on (Equation 1). α' = α × tone value of desired height ÷ detected maximum value ··· (Equation 1) For example, when the maximum value detected in the α data is 150, the α data is replaced with the value converted by the following (Equation 1'). α' = α × 200 ÷ 150 ··· (Equation 1') When the maximum value detected in the α data is 255, the α data is replaced with the value converted by the following (Equation 1''). α' = α × 200 ÷ 255 ··· (Equation 1'') In the conversion, in this embodiment, the decimal part is rounded to an integer. The handling of the decimal part is not limited to this, and it may be truncated or rounded up.

[0048] Returning to FIG. 6, the foaming data edge detection unit 602 detects the edge of the α' data. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the edge detection performed by the foaming data edge detection unit 602. FIG. 7(a) shows a part of the α' data, which is a region of 9 pixels in the x direction and 18 pixels in the y direction. In this figure, the region of 3 pixels in the x direction × 12 pixels in the y direction surrounded by the thick black line is the "foaming region", and the gradation value of each pixel is 200. Also, the region outside the foaming region surrounded by the thick black line, where the gradation value of each pixel is 0, is the "non-foaming region". In this embodiment, the edge refers to the boundary between the foaming region and the non-foaming region, and corresponds to the thick black line in the figure.

[0049] FIG. 7(b) is a diagram showing the result of executing the edge detection process on FIG. 7(a), and FIG. 7(c) is a diagram showing the Laplacian filter of size 3×3 used for the edge detection process. Hereinafter, the edge detection process will be described. For the pixel of interest in FIG. 7(a), the central pixel of the Laplacian filter in FIG. 7(c) is made to correspond. For the 8 peripheral pixels adjacent to the pixel of interest in FIG. 7(a), the 8 pixels excluding the central pixel of the Laplacian filter in FIG. 7(c) are made to correspond. The product of each pixel value in FIG. 7(a) and each pixel value (coefficient) of the Laplacian filter in FIG. 7(c) is taken. The sum of the 9 numerical values obtained by taking the products is calculated, and the calculated single numerical value is set as the value of the pixel of interest in FIG. 7(b) corresponding to the pixel of interest in FIG. 7(a).

[0050] In FIG. 7(b), for the foaming region surrounded by the thick black line, the pixels adjacent to and located inside the thick black line are called inner edge pixels, and the pixels adjacent to and located outside the thick black line are called outer edge pixels. The value of the inner edge pixel is a negative value, and the value of the outer edge pixel is a positive value. That is, if the sign of the value calculated in the edge detection process is negative, it can be determined as an inner edge pixel, and if the sign is positive, it can be determined as an outer edge pixel. In this embodiment, since the foaming promoting liquid is used for recording, the inner edge pixels are detected as edge pixels. In this embodiment, one pixel inside the edge is used as the inner edge pixel, but two or more pixels may be used.

[0051] Returning to FIG. 6, the foaming data pixel value adjuster 603 adjusts the gradation value of the edge pixels. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing dot overlap when the foaming promoting liquid is applied to the recording medium. FIG. 8(a) is a diagram showing the overlap of dots of the foaming promoting liquid applied to two adjacent pixels. The area where the two dots indicated by the hatching in FIG. 8(a) overlap on one side is calculated by the following (Equation 3). r: Radius of the dot d: Length of the side of the pixel θ: Angle between the straight line connecting the center point of the dot and the intersection point of the two dots and the straight line connecting the center points of the two pixels S: Area where the two dots overlap on one side θ = cos-1(d / 2r) ··· (Equation 2) S = ((πr2 × θ / 360) - (d × r × sinθ / 4)) × 2 ··· (Equation 3) FIG. 8(b) is a diagram showing a part of 7 pixels in the y direction of dot overlap when the foaming promoting liquid is applied to 3 pixels continuous in the x direction and pixels continuous in the y direction. The 7 pixels arranged in the y direction are called columns, and are defined as columns 1 to 7 from the left in the figure in the x direction.

[0052] For each pixel in column 4, not only the dots of the foaming promoting liquid applied to the pixel but also the dots of the foaming promoting liquid applied to the adjacent pixels in column 3 and the adjacent pixels in column 5 overlap. On the other hand, for each pixel in column 3, the dots of the foaming promoting liquid from the adjacent pixels in column 4 overlap, and for each pixel in column 5, the dots from the adjacent pixels in column 4 overlap. That is, the amount of the foaming promoting liquid on each pixel in column 3 and column 5 is less than the amount of the foaming promoting liquid on each pixel in column 4 by an amount corresponding to the overlapping area S of the dots in Fig. 8(a). Therefore, in the present embodiment, for each pixel in column 3 and column 5 corresponding to the detected inner edge pixels, the amount of the foaming promoting liquid applied is increased to reduce the difference from the amount of the foaming promoting liquid corresponding to the area S. Here, for simplicity of explanation, it is assumed that the applied foaming promoting liquid spreads uniformly over one dot area πr2. Also, let the amount of the foaming promoting liquid applied to one dot be Vng. Then, the ink amount ΔVng to be supplemented to the pixels in column 3 and column 5 is calculated by the following (Equation 4). ΔV = V×(S / (πr2)) ··· (Equation 4) In the present embodiment, binary data indicating either forming dots or not forming dots is generated. The amount of the foaming promoting liquid applied when forming dots is Vng, and the amount of the foaming promoting liquid applied when not forming dots is 0 ng. Therefore, for the pixel groups in column 3 and column 5, the pixels to which the foaming promoting liquid is increased and the pixels not increased are controlled, and as an average per pixel, an amount of the foaming promoting liquid of V×(S / (πr2)) ng is added. According to the gradation value of each pixel, the above-described binary data indicating whether to apply the foaming promoting liquid is generated in the quantization unit of Fig. 10 described later.

[0053] Fig. 5(b) is a graph showing the increment of the gradation value with respect to the additional amount of the foaming promoting liquid. Based on this graph, the increment of the gradation value is determined from the additional amount of the foaming promoting liquid. The foaming data pixel value adjustment unit 603 adds the determined additional gradation value to the gradation values of the pixels in column 3 and column 5. Here, the adjusted gradation value is called α'' data.

[0054] Based on the α'' data generated by the above process, the pixels to which the foaming promoting liquid is applied are determined by the quantization process described later. By using the adjusted α'' data, compared with the case of performing quantization processing using the α data before adjustment, the amount of the foaming promoting liquid applied to each pixel of column 3 and column 5, which are the inner edge pixels of the foaming region, becomes larger. As a result, the foaming height of the inner edge pixels based on the α'' data can be made higher than the foaming height of the inner edge pixels based on the α data.

[0055] Note that since the applied foaming promoting liquid is not necessarily evenly distributed over the dot area, the additional amount of the foaming promoting liquid may be determined experimentally instead of by the above-described calculation method. For example, there is a method of experimentally determining in advance the amount of the foaming promoting liquid to be added to the inner edge pixels for each gradation value before adjustment and tabulating it. Refer to the previously prepared table from the gradation value before adjustment of the inner edge pixels to determine the amount of the foaming promoting liquid to be added. Then, the increment of the gradation value may be determined from the additional amount of the foaming promoting liquid in FIG. 5(b), and the gradation value of the inner edge pixels may be adjusted.

[0056] Also, by increasing the dots of the foaming promoting liquid for each pixel of column 3 or column 5 in FIG. 8(b) corresponding to the inner edge pixels, the amount of the foaming promoting liquid for each pixel of column 4 increases by the area S. The difference between the amount of the foaming promoting liquid in column 3 or column 5 and the amount of the foaming promoting liquid in column 4 does not become smaller than desired. Therefore, the increment of the gradation value on the vertical axis in FIG. 5(b) may be changed, or the increment of the gradation value may be set larger. The increment of the gradation value may be determined experimentally so as to suppress a decrease in the visibility of the foaming region, and the graph in FIG. 5(b) may be prepared in advance.

[0057] Also, depending on the value indicating the foaming height set from the user UI, in the foaming data height setting unit 601, the α' data may be converted to 255. Since 255 is the maximum value of 8 bits, in the foaming data pixel value adjustment unit 603, the gradation value of the inner edge pixel cannot be made larger than 255. Therefore, it is advisable to limit the α' data to be less than 255. For example, set the upper limit value of the foaming height that can be set in the UI to 0.51 mm or less of the foaming height corresponding to the gradation value of 255 in Fig. 5(a). The foaming height set in the UI can be restricted so that even when the increment of the gradation value of the inner edge pixel is added, it remains within 255.

[0058] <Image Processing of Color Images Recorded by a Recording Apparatus> Fig. 9 is a block diagram for explaining the image processing of the color image of the present embodiment. The image processing in this figure is implemented in the recording apparatus 100 of Fig. 2. The data received by the input color conversion unit 901 is multi-value data of 8 bits each for RGB with a resolution of 1200 dpi. The input color conversion unit 901 generates multi-value data of 8 bits each for R'G'B' by converting the RGB data to data within the color reproduction range of the recording apparatus 100.

[0059] This data conversion is performed by known methods such as matrix operation processing and three-dimensional lookup table (3DLUT) processing. Here, a 3DLUT is a table that holds combinations of input RGB data and the converted R'G'B' data. For example, when holding a 16-step table of 0, 17, 34, ···, 221, 238, 255 out of the multi-values of 0 to 255 for each of the colors R, G, and B, it is composed of 16×16×16 = 4096 combinations. When RGB data of values that satisfy the combination, so-called lattice points, are input, the corresponding R'G'B' data on the table is output. When RGB data that does not satisfy the combination of the table, that is, RGB data that is not a lattice point, is input, the R'G'B' data is calculated by arithmetic processing such as known tetrahedron interpolation using the four neighboring combinations.

[0060] The color separation processing unit 902 generates CMYK 8-bit multi-value data for each of the color inks of the recording device 100 by performing color separation processing on the R’G’B’ data. This color separation processing can be implemented by known methods such as matrix operation processing and 3DLUT processing.

[0061] The gamma correction unit 903 generates C’M’Y’K’ 12-bit multi-value data by correcting the CMYK data so that the brightness of the recorded image with respect to the recording medium 112 of the recording device 100 changes linearly. This correction processing can be implemented using a one-dimensional look-up table (1DLUT).

[0062] The quantization unit 904 generates quantized data by performing quantization processing on the C’M’Y’K’ data. The quantization processing can be implemented using known dithering methods or error diffusion methods. In this embodiment, the generated quantized data is 4-value data of 2 bits per pixel at 1200 dpi for each of the ink colors C, M, Y, and K. In the quantized data for each color, when the value is 0, it indicates that no ink droplets are ejected. On the other hand, when the value is 1, it indicates that 1 ink droplet is ejected, when the value is 2, it indicates that 2 ink droplets are ejected, and when the value is 3, it indicates that 3 ink droplets are ejected.

[0063] In addition, the data of the foam promoting liquid generated by the foam data pixel value adjustment unit 603 is also quantized by the quantization unit 904 into 4-value data of 2 bits per pixel at 1200 dpi. The correspondence between the value of the quantized data and the number of ejected foam promoting liquid is the same as that of the color ink.

[0064] FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the image processing and recording processing of this embodiment. In this embodiment, steps S1001 to S1006 are performed by the PC 200, and steps S1007 and subsequent steps are performed by the recording device 200. In addition, all the processing may be performed by the recording device 200, or some of the processing may be shared and processed by the recording device 100 and the PC 200.

[0065] In step S1001, when this flow starts, in step S1002, foaming data and color image data are input to the PC200. In step S1003, it is determined whether the acquired data is foaming data. The determination is made by the CPU200 executing a program held in the HDD203. Whether it is foaming data can be determined by whether it is α data of the α channel. If the result of the determination is foaming data, the process proceeds to step S1004. If it is not foaming data, it is determined that it is a color image of RGB data, and the process proceeds to step S1007.

[0066] In addition, in this embodiment, in step S1003, it is simultaneously determined whether the resolution of the α data, which is foaming data, is 1200 dpi. If it is not 1200 dpi, it is converted to a resolution of 1200 dpi by the nearest neighbor method. For the resolution conversion process, the bilinear method or the bicubic method may be used, but in this embodiment, the nearest neighbor is used for the purpose of maintaining the sharpness of the edge of the foaming region in the α data.

[0067] Similarly, in step S1003, even when the resolution of the RGB data, which is color image data, is not 1200 dpi, the resolution is converted by a known resizing method such as the nearest neighbor method, the bilinear method, or the bicubic method. For the purpose of suppressing the occurrence of jaggedness and suppressing the reduction of sharpness, it is preferable to convert the resolution by the bicubic method.

[0068] In step S1003, when it is determined that the input data is foaming data, in step S1004, based on the input α data, the foaming data height setting unit 601 generates α' data by the method described above. In this embodiment, it will be described assuming that the foaming height set by the user via the UI is 0.4 mm. As shown in Fig. 5(a), 200 is calculated as the gradation value corresponding to the foaming height of 0.4 mm. Based on the maximum gradation value in the α data and (Equation 1), the gradation values of the foaming regions in the 3×12 region are converted as shown in Fig. 7(a). In this embodiment, since the maximum gradation value of the α data is 255 and the foaming height set by the user is 0.4 mm, the value of the maximum value of the converted α' data is 200.

[0069] In step S1005, the foaming data edge detection unit 602 detects the edges in the α' data. The edge detection process is performed using the Laplacian filter in Fig. 7(c), and the result of the edge detection process is shown in Fig. 7(b). In this embodiment, since a foaming promoting component is used as the foaming control ink, the inner edge pixels are detected as edge pixels.

[0070] In step S1006, the foaming data pixel value adjustment unit 603 adjusts the gradation value for each pixel of the inner edge pixels in the foaming region, and the adjusted set value is set. The adjustment of the gradation value is performed for the purpose of adding the foaming promoting liquid as described with reference to Figs. 5 and 8. In this embodiment, r = 15 μm, d = 21.167 μm, and V = 2 ng. Based on (Equation 2) and (Equation 3), S = 64.705 μm2 is calculated, and based on (Equation 4), ΔV = 0.183 ng is calculated for the inner edge pixels. As the increment of the gradation value for adding the foaming promoting liquid to the inner edge pixels, 7.7775 is calculated from Fig. 5(b).

[0071] In the α' data, 7.7775, which is the gradation value of the increment, is added to 200, which is the gradation value of the inner edge pixel, and 207.7775 is calculated. Here, for quantization processing, it is converted into a 12-bit integer value. 207.7775 × 16 = 3324.44 is calculated. After rounding off the decimal part, 3324 is calculated as the 12-bit α'' data. The gradation value 200 of each pixel in column 4 of the foaming region is converted to 200 × 16 = 3200, and 3200 is calculated as the 12-bit α'' data.

[0072] On the other hand, in step S1007, 8-bit RGB data is converted into 8-bit R'G'B' data by the input color conversion unit 901. In step S1008, 8-bit R'G'B' data is converted into 8-bit CMYK data by the color separation processing unit 902. In step S1009, 8-bit CMYK data is corrected into 12-bit C'M'Y'K' data by the gamma correction unit 903.

[0073] In step S1010, quantization processing by the quantization unit 904 is performed. 12-bit α'' data at 1200 dpi and 12-bit C'M'Y'K' data at 1200 dpi are input. In the quantization unit 904, 2-bit 4-value quantization data corresponding to the foaming control ink (F ink), which is the foaming promoting liquid, is generated. The value of ΔV calculated in step S1006 is ΔV = 0.183 ng, and V = 2 ng. Therefore, compared with the case where the gradation value of the inner edge pixel is not adjusted, the number of dots of the added foaming promoting liquid is 0.183 ng ÷ 2 ng = 0.0915 dots. That is, as a result, an average of 0.0915 dots per pixel are added to the inner edge pixel. Also, as a color image, 2-bit 4-value quantization data corresponding to each CMYK ink is generated.

[0074] In step S1011, according to the quantization data, each ink is applied from the recording unit 101 to the recording medium 112. When the quantization data of each ink color is 0, 0 shots of ink are applied; when it is 1, 1 shot of ink is applied; when it is 2, 2 shots of ink are applied; and when it is 3, 3 shots of ink are applied. For each pixel at 1200 dpi, a maximum of 3 shots of ink are applied.

[0075] In step S1012, the recording medium 112 to which the ink has been applied is heated by the heating unit 107. Compared with the case where the gradation value of the inner edge pixels is not adjusted, the amount of the foaming control ink (F) applied to the inner edge pixels increases by an average of 0.0915 shots per pixel, so the foaming height of the inner edge pixels also increases. The CMYK color inks are fixed on the recording medium 112 by heating.

[0076] In step S1013, this process ends.

[0077] As described above, in this embodiment, for the edge of the foaming region, which is the region where foaming is performed to form a three-dimensional image, the amount of the foaming control ink applied is controlled so that the foaming height does not decrease. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the foaming height of the edge portion from becoming lower than that of the central portion of the foaming region. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress the foaming height from becoming lower than the foaming height desired by the user, and to suppress a decrease in the visibility of the foaming region.

[0078] (Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment, an example in which a foaming promoting liquid containing a foaming promoting component is used as the foaming control ink has been described. In this embodiment, a case where a foaming suppressing liquid containing a foaming suppressing component is used will be described.

[0079] As described above, Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in which, for a recording medium containing a vinyl chloride resin as a foaming particle, after applying a foaming suppressing component and then heating and drying, the foaming of the foaming agent in the region to which the foaming suppressing component is applied is suppressed. The amount of the foaming suppressing component applied is controlled so as to lower the foaming height of the applied region and increase the foaming height of the non-applied region.

[0080] In this embodiment, as the recording medium 112, a recording medium coated with a vinyl chloride resin as a foaming agent is used. Further, as the foam control ink (F-ink), an ink containing a foam suppression component that suppresses the foaming of the vinyl chloride resin is used. A foam suppression liquid is applied from the recording head 102 to the recording medium 112. The recording method is the same as the method already described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.

[0081] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the edge detection process when an ink containing a foam suppression component is used as the foam control ink. FIG. 11(a) shows α' data, and the region surrounded by the thick black line is the foaming region. Since the F-ink of this embodiment contains a foam suppression component, the amount of F-ink applied to the foaming region is relatively small, and the amount of F-ink applied outside the foaming region is relatively large. Therefore, in the α' data generated based on the α data, the gradation value of the pixels within the foaming region is a relatively small value, which is converted to 0 in this embodiment. On the other hand, the gradation value of the pixels outside the foaming region is a relatively large gradation value, which is converted to 200 in this embodiment. The conversion to the α' data is performed by the foam data height setting unit 601 in FIG. 6 in step S1004 of FIG. 10. FIG. 11(b) is a diagram showing the edge detection process of the α' data, and FIG. 11(c) is a diagram showing the Laplacian filter used for edge detection. The edge detection process is the same as the method described with reference to FIG. 7.

[0082] The Laplacian filter in FIG. 11(c) is applied to the α' data in FIG. 11(a), and the edge detection result in FIG. 11(b) is derived. Inner edge pixels have positive values, and outer edge pixels have negative values. That is, if the sign is positive, it is determined to be an inner edge pixel, and if the sign is negative, it is determined to be an outer edge pixel. The relationship between the positive and negative signs in FIG. 11(b) and the inside and outside of the edge is the opposite of the relationship between the positive and negative signs in FIG. 7(b). In the first embodiment, inner edge pixels were detected as edge pixels, but in this embodiment, since a foam suppression liquid is used, outer edge pixels are detected as edge pixels. The above edge detection process of the α' data is performed by the foam data edge detection unit 602 in step S1005 of FIG. 10.

[0083] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the overlap of ink dots of the foam suppression liquid. The pixels of column 14, column 15, and column 16 in the x direction are the foam regions, and the pixels of the other columns are non-foam regions. Although not shown, the non-foam regions are continuous in the -x direction with respect to column 11 and in the +x direction with respect to column 19.

[0084] When a foam suppression component is used, a large amount of F ink, which is the foam suppression liquid, is applied to the pixels in the non-foam region. Therefore, FIG. 12 shows an example in which dots are formed only in the non-foam region. Dots overlap only from the pixels of column 12 to each pixel of column 13. Also, dots overlap only from the pixels of column 18 to each pixel of column 17. For the pixels of the columns in the non-foam region other than column 13 and column 17, dots overlap from the pixels of two adjacent columns. Therefore, the function of suppressing foaming for column 13 and column 17 is lower than the function of suppressing foaming for the other columns in the non-foam region, so the foam height becomes high. As a result, the difference in foam height from column 15 becomes small, and the visibility of being a foam region decreases.

[0085] Therefore, in this embodiment, control is performed to increase the application amount of the foam suppression liquid to each pixel of column 13 and column 17. The amount of the foam suppression liquid for column 13 and column 17 is increased so as to compensate for the smaller ink overlap of column 13 and column 17 compared to the ink dot overlap of column 12 and column 18. Using FIG. 5(b), the increment of the gradation value with respect to the amount of the added foam suppression liquid can be calculated. The calculated increment of the gradation value is added to the gradation value of each pixel of column 13 and column 17 of the α' data, and α'' data is generated. Each pixel of column 13 and column 17 whose gradation value is to be increased is detected as an outer edge pixel by the foam data edge detection unit 602. The above conversion to the α'' data is performed by the foam data pixel value adjustment unit in step S1006 of FIG. 10. Similar to the first embodiment, the α'' data is 12 bits.

[0086] Returning to FIG. 10, in step S1010, quantization processing is performed on the α'' data, and quantization data is generated. For the outer edge pixels, the quantization result is such that the amount of the foam control liquid increases compared to the case where the α data is quantized. In step S1012, the recording medium 112 to which the ink is applied is heated by the heating unit 107. Since the application amount of the foam suppression liquid for the outer edge pixels increases compared to the case where the gradation value of the outer edge pixels is not adjusted, the foam in the outer edge pixels is suppressed. In step S1013, this flow ends. Other steps of FIG. 10 not described in this embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description is omitted.

[0087] With the configuration described above, when using the foam suppression component, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the foam height at the edge of the foam region in the pixels outside the foam region.

[0088] (Third Embodiment) In the first embodiment, in order to add the foaming accelerating liquid to the inner edge pixels of the foaming region, the tone value of the inner edge pixels was controlled to increase. Further, in the second embodiment, in order to add the foaming suppressing liquid to the outer edge pixels of the foaming region, the tone value of the outer edge pixels was controlled to increase. In contrast, in this embodiment, in order to thin out the foaming control ink of the pixels excluding the inner edge pixels and the outer edge pixels within the foaming region, the tone value of the pixels excluding the inner edge pixels and the outer edge pixels within the foaming region is reduced.

[0089] When the maximum value of 255 is set for the pixels in the foaming region within the black frame of the α' data in FIG. 7(a), the tone value of the inner edge pixels cannot be increased. In this case, within the foaming region, the tone value of the pixels excluding the inner edge pixels is decreased. The tone value is decreased so as to thin out the amount of the foaming accelerating liquid corresponding to the area S. For example, in this embodiment, the horizontal axis in FIG. 5(b) is taken as the amount of ink to be thinned out, and the vertical axis in FIG. 5(b) is taken as the reduction in the tone value. Then, the reduction in the tone value can be calculated from the amount of the foaming accelerating liquid corresponding to the area S to be thinned out. The calculated reduction in the tone value is subtracted from the tone value of the pixels excluding the inner edge pixels within the foaming region and converted into α'' data. As described above, in the foaming region, a three-dimensional image having an inner edge with a relatively reduced foaming promotion can be formed, so that the decrease in the visibility of the foaming region can be suppressed. Note that, in this embodiment, the case where the maximum value of 255 is set for the pixels in the foaming region within the black frame of the α' data has been described, but it is not limited thereto. When a tone value smaller than the maximum value is set, by performing the above-described thinning, a three-dimensional image having an inner edge with a relatively reduced foaming promotion may be formed in the foaming region.

[0090] Also, when the maximum value of 255 is set for pixels other than the foaming region within the black frame of the α' data in FIG. 7(b), the gradation value of the outer edge pixels cannot be increased. In this case, outside the foaming region, the gradation values of pixels excluding the outer edge pixels are decreased. The gradation values are decreased so as to thin out the amount of the foaming suppression liquid corresponding to the area S. For example, in the present embodiment, the horizontal axis in FIG. 5(b) is taken as the thinned-out ink amount, and the vertical axis in FIG. 5(b) is taken as the decrement of the gradation value. Then, the decrement of the gradation value can be calculated from the amount of the foaming suppression liquid corresponding to the area S to be thinned out. The calculated decrement of the gradation value is subtracted from the gradation values of pixels excluding the outer edge pixels outside the foaming region and converted into α'' data.

[0091] As described above, since a three-dimensional image having an outer edge with suppressed relative decrease in foaming suppression can be formed outside the foaming region, a decrease in the visibility of the foaming region can be suppressed. Note that, in the present embodiment, the case where the maximum value of 255 is set for pixels other than the foaming region within the black frame of the α' data has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. When a gradation value smaller than the maximum value is set, by performing the above-described thinning process, a three-dimensional image having an outer edge with suppressed relative decrease in foaming suppression can be formed outside the foaming region.

[0092] (Other Embodiments) FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the ink dot overlap of foaming regions having different numbers of pixels in the x direction (x width or short-side pixel width). Columns 21 to 23 in this figure are foaming regions having a 3-pixel width in the x direction. Columns 25 to 26 in this figure are foaming regions having an x width of 2, and when the Laplacian filter in FIG. 7(c) is applied, columns 25 and 26 are detected as inner edge pixels. The gradation values incremented in columns 21 and 23, which are inner edge pixels having a 3-pixel width in the x direction, are added to the gradation values of columns 25 and 26, which are inner edge pixels having a 2-pixel width in the x direction. Thereby, the foaming region having a 2-pixel width in the x direction can form an edge shape equivalent to that of the foaming region having a 3-pixel width.

[0093] Column 28 in this figure is a foaming region with a width of 1 pixel in the x direction. When the Laplacian filter of FIG. 7(c) is applied, column 28 is detected as an inner edge pixel. By adding the tone values incremented by columns 21 and 23, which are inner edge pixels with a width of 3 pixels in the x direction, to the tone value of column 28, which is an inner edge pixel with a width of 1 pixel in the x direction, the foaming region with a width of 1 pixel in the x direction can form an edge shape equivalent to that of the foaming region with a width of 3 pixels in the x direction. Note that for a foaming region with a width of 4 pixels or more in the x direction (not shown), when the Laplacian filter of FIG. 7(c) is applied, both end columns within the foaming region are detected as inner edge pixels. Add the tone values incremented by columns 21 and 23, which are inner edge pixels with a width of 3 pixels in the x direction, to the tone values of both end columns, which are inner edge pixels with a width of 4 pixels or more in the x direction. Thereby, the foaming region with a width of 4 pixels or more in the x direction can form an edge shape equivalent to that of the foaming region with a width of 3 pixels in the x direction.

[0094] The Laplacian filters of FIGS. 7(c) and 11(c) can detect edges in the x direction and edges in the y direction. Therefore, using the methods described in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the tone values of the edge pixels in the x direction and the y direction can be adjusted to convert them into α'' data.

[0095] In the foregoing embodiment, it has been described that the PC 200 performs the processing of the foaming data and the recording device 100 performs the image processing of the color image, but it is not limited thereto. The recording device 100 may perform the processing of the foaming data, or the PC 200 may perform the image processing of the color image. It is sufficient that the data after quantization in step S1010 of FIG. 10 is in the recording device 100.

[0096] Also, as shown in FIG. 8(b), if there is a difference between the ink dot overlap amount of the inner edge pixels in the foaming region and the ink dot overlap amount of the other pixels in the foaming region, the configuration of the first embodiment may be adopted. If there is no difference, it is not necessary to adjust the gradation value of the inner edge pixels. The gradation threshold for determining whether there is a difference is determined experimentally in advance. In the foaming data pixel value adjustment unit 603, the gradation value of the α' data is compared with the threshold. If the gradation value of the α' data is equal to or greater than the threshold, the gradation value of the inner edge pixels is adjusted as described in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, when there is a difference between the dot overlap amount of the outer edge pixels and the dot overlap amount of the other pixels outside the foaming region in the pixels outside the foaming region, the configuration of the second embodiment may be adopted. If there is no difference, it is not necessary to adjust the gradation value of the outer edge pixels. The gradation threshold for determining whether there is a difference is determined experimentally in advance. In the foaming data pixel value adjustment unit 603, if the gradation value of the α' data is equal to or greater than the threshold, the gradation value of the outer edge pixels is adjusted as described in the second embodiment.

[0097] In the first embodiment, the form of foaming the foaming particles by heating has been described. However, as long as the foaming particles can be foamed by adding not only thermal energy but also irradiating electromagnetic waves, etc., the foaming method is not limited to heating.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0098] 100 Recording apparatus 102 Recording head 200 PC 211 CPU 216 Image processing accelerator 302 Recording nozzle

Claims

1. An applying means for applying a foaming-promoting component that promotes the foaming property of the foamed particles to a recording medium having a foam layer containing foamed particles that can be foamed; a foaming means for foaming the foam particles by applying energy to the recording medium to which the foaming-promoting component has been applied by the application means; An acquisition means for acquiring foaming data in which a gradation value for imparting a foaming-promoting component to each pixel is set; a detection means for detecting inner edge pixels located inside a boundary between a foaming region where the foaming beads are foamed and a non-foaming region where the foaming beads are not foamed, based on the foaming data; a generating means for generating a gradation value for the inner edge pixel detected by the detecting means so that the gradation value is increased to be greater than the amount of the foaming-promoting component imparted, which is indicated by the foaming data acquired by the acquiring means; An image processing device comprising:

2. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the foaming means is a heating means for foaming the foaming particles by applying heat.

3. means for receiving a value indicative of foam height; 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said generating means generates said gradation value based on a value indicating the height of said bubble.

4. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detection means detects one pixel located inside the boundary as an inner edge pixel.

5. 2. The image processing device according to claim 1, wherein the generating means generates a gradation value so that, when the foaming data acquired by the acquiring means is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the amount of foaming-promoting component applied is increased beyond the amount indicated by the foaming data.

6. An image processing method for an image processing device, comprising: an applying means for applying a foaming-promoting component for promoting the foaming property of the foamed beads to a recording medium having a foam layer containing foamed beads to be foamed; and a foaming means for foaming the foamed beads by applying energy to the recording medium to which the foaming-promoting component has been applied by the applying means, acquiring foaming data in which a gradation value for imparting a foaming-promoting component to each pixel is set; detecting inner edge pixels located inside a boundary between a foaming region where the foaming beads are foamed and a non-foaming region where the foaming beads are not foamed based on the foaming data; generating a gradation value for the detected inner edge pixel so that the applied amount of the foaming-promoting component is increased to be greater than the amount indicated by the acquired foaming data; An image processing method comprising:

7. 7. A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the image processing method according to claim 6.

8. an applying means for applying an expansion inhibiting component that inhibits the expandability of the foamed particles to a recording medium having a foamed layer containing the foamed particles; a foaming means for foaming the foam particles by applying energy to the recording medium to which the foaming inhibiting component has been applied by the application means; An acquisition means for acquiring foaming data in which a gradation value for imparting a foaming inhibiting component to each pixel is set; a detection means for detecting outer edge pixels located outside a boundary between a foaming region where the foaming beads are foamed and a non-foaming region where the foaming beads are not foamed, based on the foaming data; a generating means for generating a gradation value for the outer edge pixel detected by the detecting means so as to increase an amount of the foaming inhibiting component to be applied; An image processing device comprising:

9. An image processing method comprising: an applying means for applying an expansion inhibiting component for inhibiting the expandability of the expanded beads to a recording medium having a foamed layer containing expandable expanded beads; and a foaming means for expanding the expanded beads by applying energy to the recording medium to which the expansion inhibiting component has been applied by the applying means, acquiring foaming data in which a gradation value for imparting a foaming-inhibiting component to each pixel is set; detecting outer edge pixels located outside a boundary between a foaming region where the foaming beads are foamed and a non-foaming region where the foaming beads are not foamed based on the foaming data; generating a gradation value for the detected outer edge pixel so as to increase the amount of the foaming inhibiting component to be applied; An image processing method comprising:

Images