Template-Based Data Compression for Inkjet Recording
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-resolution inkjet recording apparatuses require efficient data transmission methods to reduce the time necessary for image data transfer, especially for line-type inkjet heads with numerous ink ejection openings, as existing compression techniques do not adequately address the need for rapid data transmission.
Innovation Solution
A data transmission apparatus and program that generates template data by determining the most frequently occurring dot data elements in image data, sequences these elements, and creates data blocks with codes indicating differences between image data and template data, allowing for efficient compression and transmission of image data to inkjet recording apparatuses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If image data is compressed using conventional techniques, then data transmission time is reduced, but compression efficiency is insufficient for line-type inkjet heads with numerous ink ejection openings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image data into multiple data blocks, each corresponding to a specific region of the line-type inkjet head's ink ejection openings. This segmentation allows for targeted compression strategies applied to each block, improving overall compression efficiency while maintaining the ability to reconstruct the complete image data for transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation by encoding image data in terms of differences from template data rather than absolute values. This parameter transformation enables more efficient compression by exploiting the statistical properties of differential data, significantly reducing the number of bits required to represent the same image information.
2Loss of information
If image data is transmitted without compression, then data accuracy is maintained, but transmission time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a template data structure that represents the expected or reference image data. By comparing actual image data against this template and transmitting only the differences (residuals), the system maintains data accuracy while dramatically reducing transmission time. The template acts as a reference copy that enables efficient differential encoding.
Solution Approach 2:
The template data is prepared in advance before the actual image data transmission. This preliminary action establishes a reference framework that enables rapid compression and decompression of the image data, reducing transmission time while preserving accuracy through the pre-established template comparison mechanism.
3Speed
If data compression is applied to line-type inkjet head data, then transmission speed increases, but compression complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The compression algorithm is simplified by segmenting the data processing into distinct stages: template generation, differential calculation, and encoding. Each stage handles a specific aspect of the compression task, making the overall complex process more manageable and implementable in the inkjet head's control system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the compression problem from processing absolute pixel values to processing differential values relative to a template. This parameter change simplifies the computational requirements, as differential data typically exhibits better statistical properties for compression, reducing the complexity of the compression algorithm while maintaining high transmission speed.
Data Source
AI summary
In a data transmission apparatus, each dot data element is one of a predetermined number of kinds. The data transmitting apparatus includes a template-data generating portion generating template data from the image data by initially determining one of the kinds of dot data element that most frequently occurs in each of one of the rows and the columns and then sequencing the most frequently occurring kinds of dot data elements determined in a direction of the other of the rows and the columns, a data-block generating portion generating a data block by sequencing in the direction of the other of the rows and the columns codes each indicative of a difference between one of the dot data elements of a kind in the image data as stored in the storing portion and one of the dot data elements of a kind in the template data.