Image Processing Apparatus Ink Dot Dispersibility Print Position Displacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing methods for printing with multiple color materials suffer from graininess and dispersibility issues, particularly due to print position displacement among color materials, leading to density and color unevenness in mixed color images.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus and method that determines the appropriate print operation based on the occurrence of print position displacement, using threshold value matrices with different arrangements for each ink type to generate quantized data, ensuring higher exclusiveness and dispersibility between ink dots while minimizing overlap, thereby reducing image defects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a common threshold value matrix is used for multiple color materials to achieve high dispersibility, then dot dispersibility is improved, but print position displacement causes density unevenness and color unevenness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single common threshold value matrix into multiple separate threshold value matrices, one for each color material. This segmentation allows each color to have its own optimized threshold arrangement, preventing the density and color unevenness caused by print position displacement while maintaining high dot dispersibility for each individual color.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different threshold value arrangements locally to each color material based on its specific characteristics. By tailoring the threshold matrix to each color's properties and print behavior, the system optimizes dispersibility for each color while compensating for color-specific print position variations, thereby eliminating the harmful effects of print position displacement.
2Reliability
If separate threshold value matrices are used for each color material to prevent print position displacement defects, then print position accuracy is improved, but dot dispersibility and exclusiveness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the threshold value parameters within each separate threshold matrix to optimize both dispersibility and print position accuracy. By adjusting threshold values, matrix sizes, and arrangement patterns for each color, the system achieves high dot dispersibility while maintaining robustness against print position displacement, thus resolving the contradiction between the two requirements.
3Manufacturing precision
If threshold value matrices with blue noise characteristics are used to improve dot dispersibility, then dot arrangement quality is improved, but graininess becomes conspicuous in mixed color images
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the blue noise threshold value matrices into separate matrices for each color material. This segmentation allows the blue noise characteristics to be optimized for each color's specific frequency distribution, reducing the graininess that occurs when multiple colors with identical blue noise patterns are combined, while maintaining high dot arrangement quality for each individual color.
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing apparatus has a determination unit that determines a print operation to be performed and a generation unit that generates quantized data for printing a dot by comparing a threshold value and the multi-valued data. In a case of performing a first print operation, dot arrangement of the multiple types of inks printed on the print medium by the print unit on a basis of pieces of quantized data generated by the generation unit is higher in exclusiveness and dispersibility between or among dots of the multiple types of inks and lower in an overlap rate between or among the dots of the multiple types of inks than dot arrangement of the multiple types of inks printed on the print medium by the print unit on a basis of the pieces of quantized data generated by the generation unit in the case of performing the second print operation.