Image Processing Apparatus Reducing Ink Consumption for Unevenness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing techniques for forming unevenness on a recording medium consume a large amount of ink proportional to the height of the unevenness, leading to increased ink consumption and time required for formation.
Innovation Solution
An image-processing apparatus that generates data to form shaped articles on a recording medium by acquiring shape data, generating edge data, and reducing the recording amount or dot arrangement of ink based on edge data, allowing for the reproduction of edge portions and reduced ink consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If ink is superimposed on the recording medium to form unevenness, then the stereoscopic effect is achieved, but the ink consumption increases proportionally to the height of the unevenness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the unevenness formation process into two distinct components: edge portions (high-frequency components) and non-edge portions (low-frequency components). By applying different recording strategies to these segments—full ink application at edges versus reduced or omitted ink application in non-edge areas—the patent achieves stereoscopic effect while significantly reducing overall ink consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the treatment of different regions within the unevenness structure. Edge portions receive full ink application to create prominent three-dimensional edges, while non-edge portions receive reduced or no ink application. This localized differentiation maintains the essential stereoscopic effect while minimizing material consumption.
2Shape
If a large amount of ink is used to form high unevenness, then the height of unevenness increases, but the time required for formation also increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the unevenness formation into edge portions requiring full height for stereoscopic effect and non-edge portions where reduced height or omitted formation is acceptable. This segmentation allows the system to achieve the necessary visual three-dimensional effect without incurring the time penalty of forming complete unevenness throughout the entire image area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by forming unevenness only where necessary (at edge portions) rather than uniformly across the entire recording medium. This partial formation strategy achieves the essential stereoscopic effect while reducing the total time required for the formation process.
3Manufacturing precision
If ink is superimposed to reproduce the complete shape of unevenness, then the accuracy of unevenness reproduction is improved, but the recording material consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the unevenness reproduction task into critical edge portions that require accurate reproduction for stereoscopic effect and non-critical non-edge portions where full accuracy is less important. By concentrating recording material on edge portions only, the patent maintains essential reproduction accuracy while minimizing material consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quality levels to different regions: high-quality full ink application at edge portions to ensure accurate reproduction of the three-dimensional structure, and low-quality or omitted application in non-edge portions. This local quality differentiation maintains essential accuracy where needed while reducing overall material consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for generating data includes one or more processors and one or more memories, the one or more memories including one or more programs. The one or more programs cause the one or more processors (a) to generate edge data for specifying an area that corresponds to an edge of a convex portion, based on data for specifying a position of the convex portion in unevenness, (b) to determine whether a height of the edge that the edge data represents is equal to or greater than a first threshold, and (c) to reduce a recording amount of a recording material for forming, on the recording medium, an area that corresponds to the edge the height of which is less than the first threshold.