Image quality evaluation method, image quality evaluation device, image quality evaluation system, and program

Abstract

To enable quantitative evaluation of a relief feel inclusive of a gloss level of an image portion as well, unlike the case where a focus is placed only on the height of a step at a boundary portion between the image portion and a base material portion.SOLUTION: As an image quality evaluation method to be executed by an information processing apparatus, there are provided (1) a process of acquiring information about a step at a boundary portion between an image portion formed of a recording material and a base material portion to be a ground of the image portion, and a gloss level of the image portion and (2) a process of calculating an evaluation value of a relief feel on the basis of the acquired information about the step and the gloss level.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image quality evaluation method, an image quality evaluation device, an image quality evaluation system, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] One of the defects that can occur when forming an image using toner or pigment-based ink is a relief effect. The relief effect refers to the visually detected step at the boundary between an area where the toner or pigment-based ink is fixed (hereinafter also referred to as the "image area") and an area where the toner or pigment-based ink is not fixed (hereinafter also referred to as the "base material area"). The step tends to be particularly large in areas with high density or areas where multiple colors of toner or pigment-based ink are layered, and the relief effect is easily visible. The relief effect is also sometimes called a step effect or unevenness. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] Osamu Ide, Shigeki Washino, Katsuhiko Sugawara, "Analysis of Steps in Glossy Prints," Japan Hardcopy Fall Meeting, pp.49-52 (2004). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It is known that the sense of relief is correlated with the height and gradient of the step at the boundary. However, quantitative evaluation of the sense of relief by visual inspection is difficult. Furthermore, even if the height of the step can be measured using a laser displacement meter or laser microscope, the evaluation of the sense of relief cannot be determined by the height of the step alone. For example, even if the height of the step is the same, differences in the glossiness of the image area will result in differences in the appearance of the sense of relief.

[0005] The present invention aims to enable quantitative evaluation of the relief effect, including the glossiness of the image area, as opposed to focusing only on the height of the step at the boundary between the image area and the base material area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 is an image quality evaluation method executed by an information processing device, and includes a process of acquiring information regarding the step at the boundary between an image area formed by a recording material and a base material area that serves as the underlying surface of the image area, and the glossiness of the image area, and a process of calculating an evaluation value of the relief effect based on the acquired information regarding the step and the glossiness. The invention described in claim 2 is an image quality evaluation method described in claim 1, in which the calculation process calculates the evaluation value using information about the step and the glossiness, as well as the difference in glossiness between the substrate portion and the image portion. A third aspect of the present invention is the image quality evaluation method according to the first or second aspect, wherein the information relating to the step is the height of the step between the substrate portion and the image portion. The invention described in claim 4 is an image quality evaluation method described in claim 1 or 2, in which the acquiring process measures the height of the step between the substrate portion and the image portion as information about the step. A fifth aspect of the present invention is the image quality evaluation method according to the first or second aspect, wherein the information about the step is an inclination angle of a connection portion between the image portion and the base portion. The invention described in claim 6 is an image quality evaluation method described in claim 1 or 2, in which the acquiring process measures the inclination angle of the connection portion between the image portion and the base material portion as information regarding the step. The invention described in claim 7 is an image quality evaluation method described in claim 1 or 2, in which the acquisition process measures information about the step and the glossiness in a specific area of ​​the printed material used for evaluation. The invention described in claim 8 is an image quality evaluation method described in claim 7, in which the specific area is a plurality of image areas where the thickness of the stacked recording material is different, and the calculation process calculates the sum of the evaluation values ​​in each of the plurality of image areas. The invention described in claim 9 is an image quality evaluation method described in claim 1 or 2, in which the calculation process calculates the evaluation value using information about the step and the glossiness, as well as the difference in glossiness between a first image portion having a first thickness and a second image portion having a second thickness. The invention described in claim 10 is an image quality evaluation method described in claim 1 or 2, in which a line indicating an acceptable range and the calculated evaluation value are displayed on a chart with information about the step on the first axis and the glossiness on the second axis. The invention described in claim 11 is an image quality evaluation device having a processor, which acquires information regarding a step at the boundary between an image portion formed by a recording material and a base portion that serves as the underlying surface of the image portion, and the glossiness of the image portion, and calculates an evaluation value of the relief effect based on the acquired information regarding the step and the glossiness. The invention described in claim 12 is an image quality evaluation system having a first measurement unit that measures information regarding the step at the boundary between an image area formed by a recording material and a base material that serves as the underlying surface of the image area, a second measurement unit that measures the glossiness of the image area, and a processor that calculates an evaluation value for the relief effect based on the acquired information regarding the step and the glossiness. The invention described in claim 13 is a program for causing a computer to realize the following functions: acquiring information regarding the step at the boundary between an image portion formed by a recording material and a base portion that serves as the underlying surface of the image portion, and the glossiness of the image portion; and calculating an evaluation value of the relief effect based on the acquired information regarding the step and the glossiness. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the invention described in claim 1, unlike when only focusing on the height of the step at the boundary between the image area and the base material area, it is possible to quantitatively evaluate the relief effect including the glossiness of the image area. According to the invention described in claim 2, the relief effect can be evaluated taking into account the influence of the difference in glossiness between the base material and the recording material. According to the invention of claim 3, it is possible to quantitatively evaluate the influence of differences in the height of physical steps and differences in glossiness on the relief appearance. According to the invention of claim 4, it is possible to quantitatively evaluate the influence of differences in the height of physical steps and differences in glossiness on the relief appearance. According to the invention of claim 5, it is possible to quantitatively evaluate the influence of differences in physical tilt angle and glossiness on the relief appearance. According to the invention of claim 6, it is possible to quantitatively evaluate the influence of differences in physical tilt angle and glossiness on the relief appearance. According to the seventh aspect of the invention, evaluation can be performed by focusing on a specific area where a relief effect is likely to appear. According to the invention of claim 8, a comprehensive evaluation value can be calculated from information on a plurality of image portions having different thicknesses. According to the invention of claim 9, it is possible to evaluate the relief effect including the influence of the difference in glossiness of image portions with different thicknesses. According to the invention of claim 10, a quantitative evaluation of the relief effect of a printed matter can be visually confirmed. According to the invention described in claim 11, unlike when only focusing on the height of the step at the boundary between the image area and the base material area, it is possible to quantitatively evaluate the relief effect including the glossiness of the image area. According to the invention described in claim 12, unlike when only focusing on the height of the step at the boundary between the image area and the base material area, it is possible to quantitatively evaluate the relief effect including the glossiness of the image area. According to the invention described in claim 13, unlike when only focusing on the height of the step at the boundary between the image area and the base material area, it is possible to quantitatively evaluate the relief effect including the glossiness of the image area. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an image quality evaluation device used in each embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cross-sectional structure of a portion of a printed matter where a relief effect is likely to appear. [Figure 3]10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining another example of the cross-sectional structure of a portion of a printed matter where a relief effect is likely to appear. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an output profile of a specular reflection light receiver. [Figure 5] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an example of measurement using a surface height measuring device, in which (A) shows an example of the cross-sectional structure of the area to be measured, and (B) shows an example of the measured waveform. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the layout of a printed material for evaluation. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the image quality assessment device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an output of an evaluation value. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of an image quality assessment device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of an image quality assessment device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of an image quality assessment device according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of an image quality assessment device according to a fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. <Configuration of image quality evaluation device> FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of an image quality assessment device 1 used in each embodiment. The image quality evaluation device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is configured as a device independent of a device that prints an image of a document or the like on a substrate such as paper. Hereinafter, a device that prints an image of a document or the like on a substrate such as paper will be referred to as a “printing device” or an “image forming device.” Images of documents or the like include, for example, text, figures, tables, graphs, photographs, and images that combine these.

[0010] The image quality evaluation device 1 shown in Figure 1 has a processor 101 that controls the operation of the entire device, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102 that stores BIOS (Basic Input Output System) and the like, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103 used as a work area for the processor 101, an auxiliary storage device 104 that stores programs and other data, a display 105 that displays evaluation results and information related to operations, an operation reception device 106 that receives operations from the operator, a light source 107 that generates illumination light, a specular reflection light receiver 108 that receives the component of the illumination light that is specularly reflected from the surface of the printed material to be evaluated, a surface height meter 109 that measures the height of the surface of the printed material to be evaluated, and a communication IF (Interface) 110 used for communication with the outside. The processor 101 and each unit are connected via a signal line 111 such as a bus.

[0011] The processor 101, the ROM 102, and the RAM 103 function as a so-called computer. The processor 101 executes a program to realize various functions. For example, the processor 101 executes a program to perform a function such as calculating an evaluation value of the relief effect of a print that is the subject of evaluation. A semiconductor memory or a hard disk drive, for example, is used as the auxiliary storage device 104. The auxiliary storage device 104 stores data measured by the specular reflection light receiver 108 and data measured by the surface height measuring device 109, as well as an operating system, firmware, application programs, etc. Hereinafter, the operating system, firmware, and application programs will be collectively referred to as "programs."

[0012] The display 105 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, and is used to display a screen operated by a user as an evaluator. The screen here also displays the results of the evaluation, including the calculated evaluation value. In the present embodiment, the display 105 is provided integrally with the device main body, but it may be a monitor connected via the communication IF 110, or may be the display of a terminal device, such as a printer or computer, connected via the communication IF 110. The computer here is not limited to a desktop computer, but may also be a notebook computer or a smartphone.

[0013] The operation reception device 106 is composed of a touch sensor arranged on the display 105, physical switches, buttons, etc. arranged on the housing of the device. However, the operation reception device 106 may be a keyboard or other input device connected to the image quality assessment device 1, or may be a mouse or other pointing device. A device that integrates the display 105 and the operation reception device 106 is called a touch panel. The touch panel is used to receive user operations on keys displayed as software (hereinafter also referred to as "soft keys").

[0014] In this embodiment, a parallel light source is used as the light source 107. Therefore, the light rays of the illumination light that illuminate the surface of the print are parallel to each other. However, the term "parallel" here is used in the sense of a practically acceptable range. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a white light source is used as the light source 107. In this embodiment, the light source 107 is placed at a position where it irradiates illumination light at an angle of 60° with respect to the normal to the measurement surface of the print to be evaluated. The specular reflection light receiver 108 is a device that receives the component of illumination light that is specularly reflected from the surface of the print, and for example, a gloss meter in which the light source 107 and specular reflection light receiver 108 are integrated is used.

[0015] The specular reflection light receiver 108 in this embodiment is provided at a position where it receives the component of the illumination light reflected in a direction at an angle of 60° to the normal to the measurement surface. Here, the light source 107 and the specular reflection light receiver 108 are arranged in the same plane. The light source 107 and the specular reflection light receiver 108 are an example of a second measurement unit. In this embodiment, the measurement angle is 60°, but other angles may be used, such as 20°, 45°, 75°, or 85°. The measurement angle may not be fixed, but may be switchable depending on the type of printed material to be evaluated. The measurement angle may be switched based on a user operation, or may be switched under the control of the processor 101 depending on the amount of received light.

[0016] The surface height measuring device 109 is a device that measures the displacement of the unevenness of the surface of the printed material in the scanning direction, and uses, for example, a laser displacement meter or a laser microscope. The surface height measuring device 109 is an example of a first measuring unit. The communication IF 110 is configured with modules that comply with wired or wireless communication standards, such as an Ethernet (registered trademark) module, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) module, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) module, and the like.

[0017] <Relationship between the cross-sectional structure of the area used for evaluation and each physical quantity> Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the cross-sectional structure of a portion of a printed matter where a relief effect is likely to appear, in which the slope formed at the edge of the recording material layered on the surface of the substrate is exaggerated. In this embodiment, the substrate may be, for example, paper, film, or metal paper. Paper is classified by paper quality and thickness.

[0018] Examples of films include PET (polyethylene terephthalate) films, PP (polypropylene) films, and PVC (polyvinyl chloride) films. Metallic paper includes, for example, paper coated with a paint containing a pearl pigment, paper with aluminum foil attached to its surface, paper with a PET film with an aluminum layer vapor-deposited on its surface, paper with a holographic film attached to its surface, and paper with a PET film with an aluminum layer vapor-deposited on its surface that has been removed after the film has been attached, leaving only the vapor-deposited layer on the surface. The recording material may be, for example, toner or ink, which is used in electrophotography and offset printing or inkjet printing.

[0019] The example shown in FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the boundary portion between the surface of the substrate and the recording material laminated on the surface. In Figure 2, the area where the substrate is exposed is called the "substrate portion," and the area of ​​the substrate surface that is covered with the recording material is called the "image portion." Also in Figure 2, the connection portion between the image portion and the substrate portion, which is formed at the edge of the image portion, is called the edge portion. The thickness of the edge portion becomes thinner as it approaches the outer edge. In the case of Figure 2, the thickness of the recording material laminated on the surface of the substrate is represented as the height ΔH1 of the step between the surface of the substrate and the upper surface of the image area. The height ΔH1 of the step is measured by a surface height measuring device 109. The height ΔH1 of the step is an example of information related to the step.

[0020] 2 also illustrates the light rays of illumination light output from the light source 107 and the optical paths of the light reflected from the substrate portion and the image portion. Specular reflection components and diffuse reflection components occur at every point, but in the case of FIG. 2, the specular reflection components from the surface region of the substrate portion and the surface region of the image portion excluding the edge portions are incident on the specular reflection light receiver 108, while the specular reflection components from the surface region of the edge portions are not incident on the specular reflection light receiver 108. The inclination angle of the edge portion can be calculated, for example, from the length of the edge portion in the X-axis direction and the step height ΔH1. If the length in the X-axis direction is the same, the inclination angle of the edge portion increases as the step height ΔH1 increases, and if the step height ΔH1 is the same, the inclination angle of the edge portion increases as the length in the X-axis direction decreases. The inclination angle of the edge portion is also an example of information related to the step.

[0021] 3 is a diagram illustrating another example of the cross-sectional structure of a portion of a printed matter where a relief effect is likely to appear, in which parts corresponding to those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In FIG. 3, a recording material A is laminated on the surface of a base material, and another recording material B is laminated on a part of the surface of the recording material A. In the case of Figure 3, the specular reflection light receiver 108 receives the specular reflection component from the surface area of ​​image part A and the specular reflection component from the upper surface of image part B, but the specular reflection component from the surface area of ​​the edge part is not incident on the specular reflection light receiver 108. 3, the height of the step at the boundary between recording material A and recording material B is represented as ΔH2. The height ΔH2 here is also measured by the surface height measuring device 109. The height ΔH2 of the step is an example of information related to the step.

[0022] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the output profile of the specular reflection light receiver 108. The vertical axis indicates the luminance value of the received specular reflection light, and the horizontal axis indicates the position of the area portion used for evaluation. The brightness value is larger near the top end and smaller near the bottom end. The unit of position is microns (μm). The output profile shown in Fig. 4 corresponds to the cross-sectional structure exemplified in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. The brightness value of the specularly reflected light measured by the specularly reflected light receiver 108 is highest in the upper part of the image area, which is the upper surface, followed by the base material part and the lower image area, which are the lower surface, and lowest at the edge part. In each embodiment described below, the brightness value corresponding to the upper surface is used as the "glossiness" of the image portion, and the difference in glossiness of the upper surface relative to the glossiness of the lower surface is used as the "glossiness difference."

[0023] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating an example of measurement by the surface height measuring device 109. (A) shows an example of the cross-sectional structure of the area to be measured, and (B) shows an example of the measured waveform. In the example shown in FIG. 5A, the height ΔH1 of the step formed between the surface of the base material and the upper surface of the recording material is the object of position measurement. The vertical axis in Figure 5(B) shows the surface height measured by the surface height measuring meter 109, and the horizontal axis shows the position of the area portion used for evaluation. The surface height is higher near the top end and lower near the bottom end. The unit of position is microns (μm). As shown in Figure 5(B), the measured waveform appears as a waveform that reflects minute irregularities on the surface. In the following explanation, the difference between the average height of the image area and the average height of the substrate area is used as the height ΔH1 of the step between the substrate area and the image area.

[0024] <Example of printed materials for evaluation> In each embodiment described below, a printed material dedicated to the evaluation of the relief effect is prepared. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example layout of a printed material for evaluation. In the case of Figure 6, patterns AR1 to AR12 of image data that are likely to produce a relief appearance on the surface of the recording material are arranged. Incidentally, patterns AR1 to AR6 are for measuring the step height ΔH, and patterns AR7 to AR12 are for measuring glossiness. In the case of FIG. 6, the pattern used to measure the step height ΔH is a linear pattern, and the pattern used to measure the glossiness is a rectangular pattern.

[0025] Patterns AR1 and AR7 are patterns in which the gradation levels of C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black) are given as 100% in image data handled by a computer or other information processing device. Similarly, patterns AR2 and AR8 are patterns in which the gradation levels of each of the three colors C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow) are given as 100%. Similarly, patterns AR3 and AR9 are patterns in which the gradation levels of two colors, C (cyan) and M (magenta), are given at 100%. Similarly, patterns AR4 and AR10 are patterns in which the gradation levels of two colors, C (cyan) and Y (yellow), are given at 100%. Similarly, patterns AR5 and AR11 are patterns in which the gradation levels of four colors, C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black), are given at 80%. Similarly, patterns AR6 and AR12 are patterns in which the gradation level of three colors, C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow), is given at 40%.

[0026] The film thickness of the image portion laminated on the surface of the substrate increases as the number of colors of the recording material used for printing increases, assuming that the gradation level of the image data is the same. Therefore, the film thickness of a pattern printed with two colors (hereinafter also referred to as "secondary colors") will be thicker than that of a pattern printed with one color. Similarly, the film thickness of a pattern printed with three colors will be thicker than that of a pattern printed with two colors, and the film thickness of a pattern printed with four colors (hereinafter also referred to as "quaternary colors") will be thicker than that of a pattern printed with three colors (hereinafter also referred to as "tertiary colors"). Furthermore, the thickness of the image area laminated on the surface of the substrate is proportional to the gradation level of the image data corresponding to each color. Therefore, a pattern printed at 80% will be thicker than a pattern printed at 40%, and a pattern printed at 100% will be thicker than a pattern printed at 80%. However, in reality, due to limitations on the printing device or image forming device, the film thickness becomes nonlinear with increasing number of colors and gradation levels.

[0027] <First Embodiment> Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the image quality assessment device 1 according to Embodiment 1. The functional configuration shown in Fig. 7 is realized through the execution of a program by the processor 101 (see Fig. 1). The processor 101 according to the first embodiment functions as a step height acquisition unit 201, a glossiness acquisition unit 202, an evaluation value calculation unit 203, and an evaluation value presentation unit 204.

[0028] The step height acquisition unit 201 acquires the height of the step formed between the substrate portion and the image portion from information on the unevenness of the surface of the printed matter measured by the surface height measurement meter 109 (see FIG. 1). When the printed matter to be evaluated has the layout shown in FIG. 6, the step height acquisition unit 201 acquires the part where the step height is the highest, that is, the height of the pattern AR1 (see FIG. 6) corresponding to the quaternary color. The glossiness acquisition unit 202 acquires the glossiness of the image portion from which the height of the step has been acquired, or of another image portion printed under the same conditions as the same region. In this embodiment, the glossiness of the pattern AR7 (see FIG. 6) corresponding to the quaternary color is acquired.

[0029] When the print to be evaluated has a layout, the gloss level acquisition unit 202 acquires the gloss level of the pattern AR1 or another pattern AR7 printed under the same conditions. "Printed under the same conditions" means printed on the same substrate, using recording material of the same color, and at the same gradation level.

[0030] The evaluation value calculation unit 203 calculates an evaluation value of the relief effect based on the acquired step height and glossiness. Specifically, the evaluation value calculation unit 203 calculates the evaluation value of the relief effect using the following formula. Evaluation value = k1 × step height × glossiness ... (Formula 1) Here, k1 is a coefficient whose value is given in advance. The evaluation value presentation unit 204 displays the calculated evaluation value of the printed matter on the display 105 etc. The evaluation value here can be used as an evaluation value of the specific printing device used to print the printed matter, or as an evaluation value of the recording material used in printing.

[0031] The evaluation value presenting unit 204 in this embodiment displays the calculated evaluation value in association with two types of curves that indicate the degree of visual recognition of the relief effect. One of the two curves is a curve that gives the lower limit of the evaluation value at which a person notices a sense of relief (hereinafter referred to as the "detection limit"), and the other is a curve that gives the upper limit of the evaluation value at which a sense of relief that is acceptable to see (hereinafter referred to as the "tolerance limit"). FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an evaluation value output. The vertical axis represents glossiness, and the horizontal axis represents step height. The glossiness is greater closer to the top of the chart and smaller closer to the bottom. The step height is higher closer to the right end of the chart and smaller closer to the left end. The horizontal axis is an example of the first axis, and the vertical axis is an example of the second axis.

[0032] The two-axis graph shown in Figure 8 also displays a curve that gives the detection limit for the sense of relief and a curve that gives the acceptable limit for quality. In the case of FIG. 8, the curve giving the detection limit corresponds to an evaluation value of "1.5", and the curve giving the tolerance limit corresponds to an evaluation value of "3.5". The higher the height of the step, the easier it is to detect a sense of relief even if the glossiness of the image area is low.On the other hand, the lower the height of the step, the harder it is to detect a sense of relief even if the glossiness of the image area is high.

[0033] A sense of relief is not detected in printed matter for which the evaluation value is below the curve that gives the detection limit. For example, in Figure 8, a sense of relief is not detected in printed matter for which an evaluation value of "1.2" is calculated. In this way, the positional relationship between the curve that gives the detection limit and the symbol corresponding to "1.2" can be visually recognized, making it easy to confirm that a sense of relief is not detected. In contrast, prints that fall within the range between the curves that represent the detection limit and the tolerance limit have a visible relief effect, but the quality is acceptable. For example, in the case of Figure 8, it is easy to confirm that the relief effect is only slight, even if it is visible, for a print that has been evaluated as "1.6."

[0034] Incidentally, prints that fall above the curve that defines the tolerance limit are prints that are unacceptable from a quality standpoint because the relief effect is too noticeable. For example, in the case of Figure 8, it is easy to confirm that the relief effect is clearly visible in prints that have been evaluated as "4." As described above, by displaying the evaluation value of the relief effect along with the curve that indicates the detection limit and the curve that indicates the tolerance limit, it becomes easier to confirm the evaluation of the relief effect compared to when the evaluation value is displayed only as a numerical value.

[0035] <Embodiment 2> Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of an image quality assessment device 1 according to embodiment 2. In Fig. 9, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 7 are assigned the same reference numerals. The functional configuration shown in FIG. 9 is also realized through the execution of a program by the processor 101 (see FIG. 1). The processor 101 according to the second embodiment functions as a step gradient acquisition unit 211, a glossiness acquisition unit 202, an evaluation value calculation unit 203A, and an evaluation value presentation unit 204A. The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the slope of the step, that is, the tilt angle, is used to calculate the evaluation value of the relief effect instead of the height of the step.

[0036] For this reason, in this embodiment, the step gradient acquisition unit 211 is used instead of the step height acquisition unit 201 (see FIG. 7). The step gradient acquisition unit 211 calculates the gradient angle based on the horizontal length of the edge portion and the height of the step. The evaluation value calculation unit 203A calculates an evaluation value of the relief effect based on the acquired gradient and gloss of the step. Specifically, the evaluation value calculation unit 203A calculates the evaluation value of the relief effect by the following formula.

[0037] Evaluation value = k11 × gradient of step × glossiness ... (Formula 2) Here, k11 is a coefficient. The value of k11 is given in advance. The evaluation value presentation unit 204A displays the calculated evaluation value of the printed matter on the display 105 or the like. In the present embodiment as well, the evaluation value presenting unit 204A displays the calculated evaluation value in association with two types of curves that indicate the degree of visual recognition of the relief effect. Specifically, the evaluation value presentation unit 204A uses the horizontal axis of the two-axis graph shown in Figure 8 as the slope of the step, and displays a symbol representing the printed matter to be evaluated and the calculated evaluation value on the two-axis graph.

[0038] <Third Embodiment> Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of an image quality assessment device 1 according to embodiment 3. In Fig. 10, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 7 are assigned the same reference numerals. The functional configuration shown in FIG. 10 is also realized through the execution of a program by the processor 101 (see FIG. 1). The processor 101 according to the third embodiment functions as a step height acquisition unit 201, a glossiness acquisition unit 202, a glossiness difference acquisition unit 212, an evaluation value calculation unit 203B, and an evaluation value presentation unit 204. The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 is that the glossiness difference acquisition unit 212 calculates the difference between the glossiness of the image portion and the glossiness of the base portion, i.e., the glossiness difference, and provides the calculated glossiness difference to the evaluation value calculation unit 203 B. In other words, in this embodiment, the glossiness difference is also used to calculate the evaluation value of the relief effect.

[0039] The evaluation value calculation unit 203B calculates an evaluation value of the relief effect based on the acquired height of the step, the glossiness of the image portion, and the glossiness difference. Specifically, the evaluation value calculation unit 203B calculates the evaluation value of the relief effect using the following formula. Evaluation value = k21 × step height × glossiness + k22 × glossiness difference ... (Equation 3) Here, k21 and k22 are coefficients. The values ​​of k21 and k22 are given in advance. The evaluation value calculation unit 203B in this embodiment calculates an evaluation value using the gloss difference between the substrate portion and the quaternary color image portion as a constant. For example, if there is a large difference in glossiness between the substrate and image areas, the overall evaluation value will be large even if the evaluation value calculated using Formula 1 is small. This is because if there is a large difference in glossiness between the substrate and the quaternary color image areas, the relief effect will be more easily visible. On the other hand, when the difference in glossiness between the substrate portion and the image portion is small, the evaluation value calculated by Equation 3 is close to the evaluation value calculated by Equation 1. In this embodiment, the evaluation value is calculated using the height of the step, but similar to the second embodiment, the evaluation value may be calculated using the slope of the step.

[0040] <Fourth Embodiment> Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of an image quality assessment device 1 according to embodiment 4. In Fig. 11, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 10 are assigned the same reference numerals. The functional configuration shown in FIG. 11 is also realized through the execution of a program by the processor 101 (see FIG. 1). The processor 101 according to the fourth embodiment functions as a step height acquisition unit 201A, a glossiness acquisition unit 202A, a glossiness difference acquisition unit 212, an evaluation value calculation unit 203C, and an evaluation value presentation unit 204. The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the height of the steps and the glossiness are measured for a plurality of patterns with different numbers of recording materials stacked, and an overall evaluation value is calculated.

[0041] In the case of FIG. 11, the step height acquisition unit 201A acquires the step heights corresponding to the lines printed in the secondary color, the lines printed in the tertiary color, and the lines printed in the quaternary color. The line printed in the secondary color corresponds to pattern AR3 or AR4 (see FIG. 6). This line corresponds to a line formed by laminating recording materials corresponding to two colors given a gradation level of 100%. The height of the step corresponding to the line of the secondary color is approximately twice the height of the step corresponding to the line of the primary color. The lines printed in tertiary colors correspond to pattern AR2 (see Figure 6). These lines correspond to lines formed by laminating recording materials corresponding to three colors with a gradation level of 100%. The height of the step corresponding to the tertiary color line is higher than the secondary color line, but due to limitations on the printing device, it is not necessarily approximately three times the height of the step corresponding to the primary color line.

[0042] The glossiness acquisition unit 202A acquires the glossiness of the pattern AR9 or 10 corresponding to the secondary color, the glossiness of the pattern AR8 corresponding to the tertiary color, the glossiness of the pattern AR7 corresponding to the quaternary color, and the glossiness of the substrate portion. The evaluation value calculation unit 203C calculates an evaluation value of the relief effect based on the acquired heights of the three types of steps, the glossiness of the corresponding three types of image portions, and the glossiness difference between the image portion of the quaternary color and the base portion. Specifically, the evaluation value calculation unit 203C calculates the evaluation value of the relief effect using the following formula.

[0043] Evaluation value = k31 x step height x glossiness (secondary color) + k32 x step height x glossiness (tertiary color) + k33 x step height x glossiness (quaternary color) + k34 x glossiness difference ... (Formula 4) Here, k31, k32, k33, and k34 are coefficients. The values ​​of k31, k32, k33, and k34 are given in advance. The evaluation value calculation unit 203C in this embodiment also calculates an evaluation value using the gloss difference between the substrate portion and the quaternary color image portion as a constant. The evaluation value calculation unit 203C in this embodiment can calculate a comprehensive evaluation value that includes evaluation values ​​for secondary colors, tertiary colors, and quaternary colors. Actual printed matter contains multiple steps and image areas of different heights, but by using Equation 4, it is possible to comprehensively evaluate the relief effect. In this embodiment, the evaluation value is calculated using the height of the step, but similar to the second embodiment, the evaluation value may be calculated using the slope of the step.

[0044] <Fifth Embodiment> Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of an image quality assessment device 1 according to embodiment 5. In Fig. 12, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 11 are assigned the same reference numerals. The functional configuration shown in FIG. 12 is also realized through the execution of a program by the processor 101 (see FIG. 1). The processor 101 according to the fifth embodiment functions as a step height acquisition unit 201A, a glossiness acquisition unit 202B, a glossiness difference acquisition unit 212A, an evaluation value calculation unit 203D, and an evaluation value presentation unit 204. The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 4 is that a comprehensive evaluation value is calculated, including the difference in glossiness between an image area where a small total amount of recording material is used and an image area where a large total amount of recording material is used compared to the same area.

[0045] In the case of Figure 12, the glossiness acquisition unit 202B acquires the glossiness of pattern AR9 or 10 (see Figure 6) corresponding to the secondary color, the glossiness of pattern AR8 corresponding to the tertiary color, the glossiness of pattern AR7 corresponding to the quaternary color, and the glossiness of the base material portion, as well as the glossiness of pattern AR12 of the tertiary color with a small total amount of recording material and the glossiness of pattern AR11 of the quaternary color with a large total amount of recording material. In the example of Figure 12, the tertiary color pattern AR12, which uses a small total amount of recording material, is a pattern in which each gradation level is output at 40%, while the quaternary color pattern AR11, which uses a large total amount of recording material, is a pattern in which each gradation level is output at 80%.

[0046] The evaluation value calculation unit 203D calculates an evaluation value of the relief effect based on the acquired heights of the three types of steps, the glossiness of the corresponding three types of image portions, the glossiness difference between the image portion of the quaternary color and the base portion, and the glossiness difference between two image portions that use different total amounts of recording material. Specifically, the evaluation value calculation unit 203D calculates the evaluation value of the relief effect using the following formula. Evaluation value = k41 × step height × glossiness (secondary color) + k42 × step height × glossiness (tertiary color) + k43 × step height × glossiness (quaternary color) + k44 × glossiness difference (image area with 100% gradation level and base material area) + k45 × glossiness difference (image area with 40% gradation level and image area with 80% gradation level) ... (Formula 5) Here, k41, k42, k43, k44, and k45 are coefficients. The values ​​of k41, k42, k43, k44, and k45 are given in advance.

[0047] In this embodiment, evaluation value calculation unit 203D calculates an evaluation value using, as a constant, the gloss difference between the base material portion and the image portion with a gradation level of 100%, as well as the gloss difference between the image portion with a gradation level of 40% and the image portion with a gradation level of 80%. The image portion with a gradation level of 40% here is an example of a first image portion, and has a first thickness. The image portion with a gradation level of 80% is an example of a second image portion, and has a second thickness (>first thickness). The difference from the fourth embodiment is that the gloss difference between an image portion with a gradation level of 40% and an image portion with a gradation level of 80% is used to calculate the evaluation value.

[0048] The evaluation value calculation unit 203D in this embodiment can calculate a comprehensive evaluation value that includes not only the difference in glossiness between the substrate portion and the image portion, but also the difference in glossiness between two types of image portions with different gradation levels. In an actual printed matter, multiple image portions with the same color tone but different total amounts of recording material are formed, and by using Equation 5, a comprehensive evaluation of the relief effect becomes possible. In this embodiment, the evaluation value is calculated using the height of the step, but similar to the second embodiment, the evaluation value may be calculated using the slope of the step.

[0049] <Other embodiments> (1) Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope of the above-described embodiments. It is clear from the claims that various modifications and improvements to the above-described embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0050] (2) In the above-described embodiment, the image quality evaluation device 1 is described as being equipped with all of the light source 107 and specular reflection light receiver 108 used to measure glossiness, the surface height meter 109 that measures the unevenness formed on the surface of the printed matter, and the processor 101 that evaluates the relief effect. However, it may also be realized as a system in which multiple devices corresponding to each function are connected so that they can communicate with each other. For example, the image quality evaluation system may be realized by connecting a gloss meter including a light source 107 and a specular reflection light receiver 108 for measuring glossiness, a device including a surface height position meter 109, and an information processing device including a processor 101 via a communication line or a network, or by connecting a light source 107 and a specular reflection light receiver 108 for measuring glossiness, a device including a surface height position meter 109, and an information processing device including a processor 101 via a communication line or a network.

[0051] (3) In the above-described embodiment, a white light source is used as light source 107 (see FIG. 1), but the color of the illumination light may be any color. Furthermore, the illumination light is not limited to visible light, and may be infrared light, ultraviolet light, or the like. (4) In the above-described embodiment, the substrate portion is assumed to be an area where the substrate, such as paper, is exposed, but the printing area used as the background for the image portion may be an area where a halftone pattern is printed. A halftone pattern is a pattern that expresses density using dots of different sizes.

[0052] (5) The processor in each of the above-mentioned embodiments refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPUs, etc.) as well as dedicated processors (e.g., GPUs (Graphical Processing Units), ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), programmable logic devices, etc.). Furthermore, the operations of the processor in each of the above-described embodiments may be performed by a single processor alone, or may be performed by multiple processors located in physically separate locations in cooperation with each other. Furthermore, the order in which the operations of the processors are performed is not limited to the order described in each of the above-described embodiments, and may be changed individually. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1...image quality evaluation device, 101...processor, 107...light source, 108...specular reflection light receiver, 109...surface height measuring device, 201, 201A...step height acquisition unit, 202, 202A, 202B...glossiness acquisition unit, 203, 203A, 203B, 203C, 203D...evaluation value calculation unit, 204, 204A...evaluation value presentation unit, 211...step slope acquisition unit, 212, 212A...glossiness difference acquisition unit

Claims

1. An image quality evaluation method executed by an information processing device, comprising: a process of acquiring information regarding a step at a boundary between an image portion formed by a recording material and a base portion that is a base for the image portion, and the gloss level of the image portion; a process of calculating an evaluation value of a relief appearance based on the acquired information about the step and the gloss level; An image quality evaluation method comprising:

2. the calculation process calculates the evaluation value using information about the step and the glossiness, as well as a difference in glossiness between the base portion and the image portion. The image quality evaluation method according to claim 1 .

3. The information about the step is the height of the step between the base portion and the image portion. The image quality evaluation method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the acquiring process measures the height of a step between the base portion and the image portion as information about the step. The image quality evaluation method according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The information about the step is an inclination angle of a connection portion between the image portion and the base portion. The image quality evaluation method according to claim 1 or 2.

6. the acquiring process measures an inclination angle of a connection portion between the image portion and the base portion as information about the step; The image quality evaluation method according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The acquiring process measures the information about the step and the glossiness in a specific area of ​​the printed matter to be used for evaluation. The image quality evaluation method according to claim 1 or 2.

8. the specific region is a plurality of the image portions each having a different thickness of the recording material to be stacked, The calculation process calculates the sum of the evaluation values ​​for each of the plurality of image portions. The image quality evaluation method according to claim 7.

9. the calculation process calculates the evaluation value using information about the step and the glossiness, as well as a difference in glossiness between a first image portion having a first thickness and a second image portion having a second thickness; The image quality evaluation method according to claim 1 or 2.

10. a line indicating an acceptable range and the calculated evaluation value are displayed on a chart having the information about the step on a first axis and the glossiness on a second axis; The image quality evaluation method according to claim 1 or 2.

11. a processor; The processor: information regarding a step at a boundary between an image portion formed by the recording material and a base portion that is a base for the image portion, and the gloss level of the image portion; calculating an evaluation value of the relief appearance based on the acquired information about the step and the glossiness; Image quality evaluation device.

12. a first measuring unit that measures information regarding a step at a boundary between an image portion formed on the recording material and a substrate portion that is a base of the image portion; a second measurement unit for measuring the glossiness of the image area; a processor that calculates an evaluation value of a relief appearance based on the acquired information about the step and the glossiness; An image quality evaluation system having:

13. On the computer, a function of acquiring information regarding a step at a boundary between an image portion formed by a recording material and a substrate portion that is a base of the image portion, and the glossiness of the image portion; a function of calculating an evaluation value of a relief appearance based on the acquired information about the step and the glossiness; A program to achieve this.

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