Halftone Dot Size Adjustment for Banding Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing technologies face challenges in improving image quality by suppressing banding in printed images, as increasing dot size to reduce banding often worsens graininess.
Innovation Solution
An image processing device that acquires target image data, detects objects, determines characteristic data for potential banding, and executes a halftone process to determine dot formation based on parameters, adjusting dot sizes to balance banding and graininess through a halftone process involving thresholds for large, medium, and small dots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If dot size is increased to suppress banding, then banding is reduced, but graininess quality worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different dot size adjustment strategies to different regions of the image based on local characteristics. Objects with high banding potential receive larger dot size adjustments, while other regions maintain smaller dot sizes to preserve graininess quality. This localized approach allows banding suppression where needed without degrading overall image quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically changes the dot size parameter based on the banding potential of different image regions. By calculating a banding potential value for each object and adjusting dot size accordingly, the system optimizes the balance between banding suppression and graininess maintenance through parameter adaptation rather than using a fixed dot size for all regions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If comprehensive banding suppression is applied to the entire image, then banding is reduced, but overall image quality may deteriorate due to excessive dot size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent identifies specific objects within the image that have high banding potential and applies dot size adjustments only to those regions. By evaluating each object's banding potential individually and applying targeted corrections, the system suppresses banding where it occurs without unnecessarily modifying other regions, thereby maintaining overall image quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dot size adjustment selectively to objects with high banding potential rather than uniformly to the entire image. This partial action approach ensures that banding suppression is applied only where needed, avoiding the excessive dot size increases that would degrade image quality in regions where banding is not a problem.
Data Source
AI summary
In an image processing device, a processor is configured to perform: (a) acquiring target image data representing an image including a plurality of pixels, where the target image data includes a plurality of sets of pixel data corresponding to the plurality of pixels, where the image includes an object having at least one pixel of the plurality of pixels; (b) detecting the object in the image based on the target image data; (c) determining characteristic data indicating a potential for an occurrence of banding in the object based on the target image data; (d) determining a parameter based on the characteristic data; and (e) executing a halftone process to determine, for each of the plurality of pixels, a dot to be found based on the corresponding set of pixel data by using the parameter.