Image forming apparatus, control device and program

Abstract

To avoid color mixture with original data when performing CMYK conversion during output in a printer.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus performs CMYK conversion of RGB images in an image forming unit and outputs the resultant images, and comprises: an identification unit that identifies a print request color from print request instructions; and an editing unit that removes image data at a printing point regarding colors other than the identified print request color and edits printing regarding the print request color.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a control device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, in image forming apparatuses, a technique has been considered in which an RGB 24-bit (frame sequential) image received from a scanner is passed from a controller to a printer, where the printer converts the image to CMYK and outputs the image. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] However, when an RGB 24-bit (frame sequential) image from a controller is converted to CMYK by a printer for output, the image is in RGB space at the controller stage, so when the printer performs the requested editing and converts it to CMYK for output, there is an issue that the colors will mix with the colors of the original image and the output color will not be as intended.

[0004] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an image forming device, a control device, and a program that can avoid color mixing with the original data when converting to CMYK when outputting from a printer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus that converts an RGB image into CMYK and outputs the converted image, comprising: The color to be printed is determined based on the RGB density information converted from the CMYK density information set in An identification unit for identifying a requested print color; Based on the above, in the case of printing other than black, the image of the requested print color is OR-composited with the RGB image, and the print contents of the image other than the requested print color are inverted and then AND-composited with the RGB image. The present invention is characterized by comprising an editing unit. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent color mixing with the original data when converting to CMYK for output by a printer. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an MFP according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a software configuration of the MFP. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an image editing (print editing) operation of the MFP. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the MFP. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing the image editing (print editing) function in the IMH. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an outline of the flow of image editing (print editing) in the IMH. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of bitmap data. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a logical operation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of an image forming apparatus, a control device, and a program will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0009] In this embodiment, an example will be described in which a multifunction peripheral (MFP: Multifunction Peripheral (hereinafter, referred to as MFP)) is applied as an image forming apparatus. Note that a multifunction peripheral is a device having at least two of the following functions: copy function, scanner function, fax function, and printer function.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an MFP 1 according to an embodiment.

[0011] The MFP 1 includes a control unit 11, an operation panel 12, a scanner 13, a printer 14, a primary storage unit 15, a secondary storage unit 16, and an external communication unit 17.

[0012] The control unit 11 is a calculation device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls the overall operation of the MFP 1.

[0013] The operation panel 12, which is a display unit, is, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) equipped with a touch sensor. The operation panel 12 accepts operations such as a copy process request or a fax process request from the user, and displays various information such as information according to the accepted input, information indicating the operating status of the MFP1, and information indicating the setting state. The operation panel 12 may be configured with an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display device equipped with a touch sensor. Furthermore, the operation panel 12 may be provided with an operation unit such as hardware keys and a display unit such as a lamp.

[0014] The scanner 13 reads an original document and generates image data. The scanner 13 then outputs the generated image data to a temporary storage unit. The printer 14 is an image forming unit that forms an image of the original document on a recording medium such as paper and outputs the image.

[0015] The primary storage unit 15 is, for example, a volatile memory. The primary storage unit 15 functions as, for example, a work area for developing an input image, and is also a storage area for temporarily holding the developed image data.

[0016] The secondary storage unit 16 is a storage area that holds image data.

[0017] The external communication unit 17 is a communication interface that connects to other information processing devices such as other MFPs via a network.

[0018] Next, a software configuration of the MFP 1, which is an example of an image forming apparatus according to this embodiment, will be described.

[0019] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the MFP 1. The MFP 1 includes an application layer 100, a service layer 200, a handler layer 300, and a hardware layer 400. The service layer 200, the handler layer 300, and the hardware layer 400 are collectively referred to as a platform 500.

[0020] The application layer 100 includes software that manages control according to each application. The application layer 100 receives instructions and setting requests from an operation screen and issues requests to the platform 500 to realize the functions of the applications. The application layer 100 includes a printer application 101, a copy application 102, a fax application 103, a scanner application 104, a network file application 105, other applications 106 such as a user authentication application, and a gateway application program interface (GW-API) 107. The printer application 101 is an application for a printer. The copy application 102 is an application for a copy. The fax application 103 is an application for a facsimile. The scanner application 104 is an application for a scanner. The network file application 105 is an application for a network file that shares various files on a network. The GW-API 107 receives processing requests from various applications in the application layer 100 using predefined functions.

[0021] The service layer 200 controls various functions of the MFP 2. The service layer 200 controls an input function / output function / external communication function as each function of the MFP 1. The service layer 200 includes a Network Control Service (NCS) 201, an Operation panel Control Service (OCS) 202, a FAX Control Service (FCS) 203, a Memory Control Service (MCS) 204, an Engine Control Service (ECS) 205, a Delivery Control Service (DCS) 206, a Certification Control Service (CCS) 207, a Log Control Service (LCS) 208, a User Control Service (UCS) 209, and a System Control Service (SCS) 210.

[0022] The NCS 201 performs mediation processing between the network and each application in the application layer 100. The NCS 201 distributes data received from the network side by each protocol to each application, and mediates when each application transmits data to the network 5 side. Specifically, the NCS 201 has server daemons such as ftpd, httpd, lpd, snmpd, telnetd, and smtpd, and client functions for the same protocols.

[0023] The OCS 202 controls the operation panel 12 that accepts various operations from the user. The OCS 202 performs a process of notifying the user of key operations, a process of providing library functions for each application to construct a GUI (Graphical User Interface), a process of managing the constructed GUI information for each application, a process of displaying information on the operation panel 12, and the like.

[0024] The FCS203 provides APIs for sending and receiving facsimile data using the PSTN / ISDN network, registering and quoting various facsimile data managed in the BKM (backup SRAM), reading facsimiles, printing received facsimile data, and performing integrated sending and receiving.

[0025] The MCS 204 performs memory control. Specifically, the MCS 204 acquires and releases image memory, and compresses and expands image data.

[0026] The ECS 205 controls an engine unit 403 including the scanner 13, printer 14, and other hardware resources 402. The ECS 205 performs image reading, printing operations, status notification, jam recovery, etc. Specifically, the ECS 205 realizes a series of copy, scan, and print operations by sequentially issuing print requests to the SRM 301 according to the job mode designation received from each application.

[0027] The DCS 206 transmits and receives image files stored in the secondary storage unit 19 and the memory on the controller using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) and the File Transfer Protocol (FTP).

[0028] The CCS 207 performs processing related to authentication of a user who uses the MFP 1 .

[0029] The LCS 208 controls the log information of the data processed by the MFP 1 .

[0030] UCS209 is a control service that manages user information registered by a user.

[0031] The SCS 210 performs startup management and termination management for each application in the application layer 100 .

[0032] The handler layer 300 controls the writing and reading of data in the primary storage unit 15 and the secondary storage unit 16, and controls the editing function. The handler layer 300 also controls each unit (hardware device) belonging to the hardware layer 400. More specifically, the handler layer 300 controls an engine unit 403 to control the input and output of image data. Furthermore, the handler layer 300 controls other hardware resources 402 to perform communication. The handler layer 300 includes a System Resource Manager (SRM) 301, a Facsimile Control Unit Handler (FCUH) 302, an Imaging Memory Handler (IMH) 303, and a Media Edit Utility (MEU) 304.

[0033] The SRM 301 controls the system and manages resources together with the SCS 210. The SRM 301 arbitrates and controls execution according to requests from upper layers that use hardware resources. Specifically, the SRM 301 determines whether the requested hardware resources are available, and if so, notifies the upper layer that the requested hardware resources are available. The SRM 301 may also schedule the use of hardware resources in response to requests from upper layers and directly implement the requested contents.

[0034] The FCUH 302 manages the facsimile control unit.

[0035] The IMH 303 manages the memory that temporarily stores image data.

[0036] The MEU 304 controls hardware that performs image conversion processing, and performs image conversion.

[0037] The hardware layer 400 controls an engine unit 403 to input and output image data, and controls other hardware resources 402 to communicate with the outside. A remote application programming interface (RAPI) 401 mediates between the handler layer 300 and the engine unit 403.

[0038] Next, characteristic functions of the MFP 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0039] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an image editing (print editing) operation of the MFP 1. As shown in Fig. 3, in order to avoid color mixing when converting an RGB 24-bit (frame sequential) image received from the scanner 13 to CMYK when outputting the image on the printer 14, the control unit 11 of the MFP 1 drops image information other than the target color plane for the printer 14, thereby enabling the requested print color to be output as intended.

[0040] Conventional technology only performs OR synthesis on the target color plane, so there is a possibility that it will mix with the image information of the non-target color plane and not produce the intended color. For example, if red printing (R element) is OR-synthesized with white (R,G,B)=(255,255,255) in the RGB space, it will become white (255,255,255), and the output result will be white. To achieve red, it is necessary to set red (R,G,B)=(255,0,0).

[0041] 3, in the MFP1 of this embodiment, OR synthesis is performed on the target color plane (e.g., R plane), and AND synthesis is performed on the non-target color plane (e.g., G / B plane) after inversion, so that image information other than the target color plane is dropped. As a result, the printer 14 prints in solid color on top of the original image.

[0042] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the MFP 1. Fig. 4 shows functions related to the operations of main modules involved in a copy operation.

[0043] The copy application 102 outputs the setting contents set by the user via the operation panel 12 as a request for job information to the ECS 205. Here, the job information is all information set via the operation panel 12, including the number of copies.

[0044] The ECS 205 converts the job information output by the copy application 102 into process information in page units, and outputs the request to the SRM 301 .

[0045] The SRM 301 performs arbitration processing between the handler layer 300 and an engine unit 403 such as the scanner 13 , the printer 14 , and other hardware resources 402 in response to a request output by the ECS 205 .

[0046] The IMH 303 is a module that handles image data by image input / output based on set process information, and performs image editing (print editing) in accordance with the set process information. The operation of the IMH 303 for image editing (print editing) according to this embodiment is described below.

[0047] FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing the image editing (print editing) function of the IMH 303. As shown in FIG.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 5, the IMH 303 functions as a control device that includes a recognition unit 3031 and an editing unit 3032.

[0049] The identification unit 3031 identifies the requested print color from the print request instruction. For example, when the R plane is specified as the print request instruction, the identification unit 3031 identifies the requested print color as the R plane.

[0050] The identification unit 3031 identifies the requested print color based on the CMYK density information. More specifically, the identification unit 3031 converts the CMYK density set as the requested print color into an RGB density using the following conversion formula. Colors that are not "0" for the converted RGB density are target colors, and colors that are "0" are non-target colors. R = min(1,1-CK) G = min(1,1-MK) B=min(1,1-YK)

[0051] An editing unit 3032 performs OR synthesis of an image in the requested print color with the RGB image based on the requested print color identified by the identification unit 3031, and then performs AND synthesis after inverting the print contents of images other than the requested print color with respect to the RGB image.

[0052] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an outline of the flow of image editing (print editing) in the IMH 303.

[0053] 6, first, the IMH 303 checks the print request and determines whether or not to execute the print process (step S1). If the IMH 303 determines to execute the print process (Yes in step S1), it adjusts the print position and angle according to the print settings (step S2).

[0054] Next, the identification unit 3031 of the IMH 303 identifies the requested print color from the print request instruction (step S3).

[0055] Next, the editing unit 3032 of the IMH 303 determines the composition method based on the identified print request color (step S4). When printing a color other than black, the editing unit 3032 of the IMH 303 determines to OR-compose the image of the print request color (target color) (R image) with the RGB image, and to invert the image of the color other than the print request color (non-target color) (G / B image) and then AND-compose it with the RGB image. This will be described in detail later.

[0056] Finally, the editing unit 3032 of the IMH 303 combines the images in accordance with the print settings such as size (step S5).

[0057] Here, the method of determining the synthesis method based on the requested printing color in step S4 will be described in detail.

[0058] In order to prevent color mixing, the editing unit 3032 of the IMH 303 inverts the non-target colors and AND-composes them into the RGB image in order to delete image data in the printing areas. By doing this, the image content is output as is in the areas not to be printed, and the intended color can be achieved by setting the target color plane to "1" and the non-target color plane to "0" in the areas to be printed.

[0059] The print data used in print composition is bitmap data. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of bitmap data. As shown in Fig. 7, bitmap data has data as "0" for areas other than the print content to be displayed. Therefore, the IMH 303 needs to perform composition as shown below.

[0060] <For the target color> The editing unit 3032 of the IMH 303 sets the "1" parts of the print data to "1" regardless of the image data. This is to output the print content in the intended color. On the other hand, the editing unit 3032 of the IMH 303 leaves the "0" parts of the print data as they are in the image data.

[0061] <For non-target colors> The editing unit 3032 of the IMH 303 changes the "1" parts of the print data to "0" regardless of the image data. This is to delete the original data information so as not to mix colors in the print content. On the other hand, the editing unit 3032 of the IMH 303 leaves the "0" parts of the print data as image data.

[0062] Next, the logical operations for realizing the above-mentioned synthesis will be described in detail, with reference to Fig. 8, which shows an example of the logical operations.

[0063] <For black printing> As shown in Fig. 8(a), the editing unit 3032 of the IMH 303 inverts the target color plane and performs AND compositing. Meanwhile, the editing unit 3032 of the IMH 303 outputs the original image as is where the print request is "0". Therefore, where the print request is "1", the result will be 0 (black (R, G, B) = (0, 0, 0)). The editing unit 3032 of the IMH 303 inverts the print content for the target color plane and performs AND compositing with the RGB image, thereby realizing the intended color.

[0064] <When printing in colors other than black> As shown in Fig. 8(b), the editing unit 3032 of the IMH 303 performs OR compositing on the target color plane. On the other hand, the editing unit 3032 of the IMH 303 outputs the original image as is where the print request is "0". Therefore, where the print request is "1", the result is "1". The editing unit 3032 of the IMH 303 inverts the print content for the target color plane and performs OR compositing with the RGB image, thereby realizing the intended color.

[0065] As shown in Fig. 8(c), the editing unit 3032 of the IMH 303 inverts the non-target color planes and performs AND compositing. On the other hand, the editing unit 3032 of the IMH 303 outputs the original image as is where the print request is "0". Therefore, where the print request is "1", the result is "0". The editing unit 3032 of the IMH 303 inverts the print content for the non-target color planes and performs AND compositing with the RGB image, thereby realizing the intended color.

[0066] When printing something other than black, as shown in Figs. 8(b) and 8(c), only the target plane information remains at the printing location, resulting in the intended output result without color mixing.

[0067] Thus, according to this embodiment, in order to avoid mixing of colors with the original data when converting the RGB 24-bit (face sequential) image received from the scanner 13 to CMYK for output by the printer 14, the requested print color can be output as intended by dropping image information other than the target color plane for the printer 14.

[0068] The program executed by MFP1, which is the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, is provided as a file in an installable or executable format recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

[0069] The program executed by the MFP1, which is the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. The program executed by the MFP1, which is the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0070] Furthermore, the programs executed by the MFP1, which is the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, may be provided by being pre-installed in a ROM or the like.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is described as being applied to a multifunction peripheral having at least two of the functions of a copy function, a printer function, a scanner function, and a facsimile function. However, the image forming apparatus can be applied to any image forming apparatus such as a copier, a printer, a scanner device, or a facsimile device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1. Image forming device 14 Image forming section 303 Control device 3031 Identification unit 3032 Editorial Department [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0073] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-259308 A

Claims

1. In an image forming apparatus which converts an RGB image into CMYK and outputs the converted image, an identification unit that identifies a print request color that is a target color for printing, which is determined based on RGB density information obtained by converting CMYK density information set in a print request instruction; an editing unit that, based on the identified print request color, performs OR synthesis of an image of the print request color with respect to an RGB image in the case of printing other than black, and performs AND synthesis after inverting the print contents of the image other than the print request color with respect to the RGB image; An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. In the case of black printing, the editing unit inverts the print content of the image in the print request color with respect to the RGB image and then performs AND synthesis.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

3. A control device for controlling an image forming apparatus that converts an RGB image into CMYK and outputs the converted image, an identification unit that identifies a print request color that is a target color for printing, which is determined based on RGB density information obtained by converting CMYK density information set in a print request instruction; an editing unit that, based on the identified print request color, performs OR synthesis of an image of the print request color with respect to an RGB image in the case of printing other than black, and performs AND synthesis after inverting the print contents of the image other than the print request color with respect to the RGB image; A control device comprising:

4. A computer that controls an image forming apparatus that converts an RGB image into CMYK and outputs the converted image. an identification means for identifying a print request color, which is a target color for printing and is determined based on RGB density information obtained by converting CMYK density information set in a print request instruction; an editing means for OR-composing an image of the requested print color with respect to an RGB image in the case of printing a color other than black based on the identified requested print color, and for AND-composing the RGB image after inverting the print contents of the image other than the requested print color; A program to function as a

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