Image processing apparatus, printer apparatus, and image processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10212315-B2
Application number	US-201715431772-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2017
Priority date	Mar 8, 2016
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

An image processing apparatus controls an operation of a printer apparatus that prints an image on a sheet being attachable to skin. The image processing apparatus includes: an image acquirer that acquires a skin image; an image analyzer that extracts, from the skin image, a discolored region differing in color from surrounding skin by at least a predetermined level, and color of the surrounding skin; a print type determiner that determines, based on at least one of color and size of the discolored region, a print type that includes at least one of use/nonuse of a base material containing a white pigment, a particle shape of a print material used in the printing, a scheme of the printing, and use/nonuse of lamé powder; and a printing controller that outputs, to the printer apparatus, image data having a content of printing a print material in the surrounding color, on a region corresponding to the discolored region in the sheet, and controls an operation of the printer apparatus according to the determined print type.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image processing apparatus that controls an operation of a printer apparatus printing an image on a sheet being attachable to skin, the image processing apparatus comprising:
an image acquirer that acquires a skin image picked up from the skin;
an image analyzer that extracts, from the skin image corresponding to the area that is printed on the sheet, a discolored region differing in color from surrounding skin by at least a predetermined level, and surrounding color being color of the skin surrounding the discolored region that is inside of the area that is printed on the sheet;
a print type determiner that determines, based on at least one of color and size of the discolored region, a print type that includes at least one of use or nonuse of a base material containing a white pigment, a particle shape of a print material used in the printing, a scheme of the printing, and a use or non-use of shimmering material; and
a printing controller that outputs, to the printer apparatus, image data having a content of printing a print material in the surrounding color, on a region corresponding to the discolored region inside the sheet, and controls an operation of the printer apparatus according to the determined print type,
wherein the print type determiner also determines an amount of white-color material per unit area based on a color difference between the discolored region and the surrounding color.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the print type determiner selects, on condition that an area of the discolored region is at least a predetermined value, a print material of spherical crystal or indefinitely-shaped crystal, and selects, on condition that the area of the discolored region is less than the predetermined value, a print material of a plate crystal.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the print type determiner determines, on condition that color depth of the discolored region is at least a predetermined level, to print a white-color print material as a base of the print material in the surrounding color.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the print type determiner determines, on condition that a difference in color depth between a plurality of adjacent ones of the discolored regions is at least a predetermined level, to print a white-color print material as a base of the print material in the surrounding color.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the print type determiner selects, on condition that an area of the discolored region is at least a predetermined value, spray printing or relief printing, and selects, on condition that the area of the discolored region is less than the predetermined value, inkjet printing.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the print type determiner determines, in the case of an area of the discolored region is larger than a predetermined value, to print using the shimmering material.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein a layer of the surrounding color is laminated printed on a layer of white-color.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein a relationship between the color difference and a density of the white-color material is defined as linear.

9. A printer apparatus that prints an image on a sheet being attachable to skin, the printer apparatus comprising:
an information acquirer that acquires a print type that includes at least one of use or nonuse of a base material containing a white pigment, a particle shape of a print material used in the printing, a scheme of the printing, and a use or non-use of shimmering material, the print type being determined based on at least one of color and size of a discolored region in the skin corresponding to the area that is printed on the sheet, the discolored region differing in color from surrounding skin by at least a predetermined level, and the image data having a content of printing a print material in surrounding color being color of the skin surrounding the discolored region, on a region corresponding to the discolored region in the sheet; and
a printing processor that performs printing indicated by the image data, by operating according to the acquired print type,
wherein determining the print type also includes determining an amount of white-color material per unit area based on a color difference between the discolored region and the surrounding color.

10. An image processing method for controlling an operation of a printer apparatus that prints an image on a sheet being attachable to skin, the image processing method comprising:
acquiring a skin image picked up from the skin;
extracting, from the skin image corresponding to the area that is printed on the sheet, a discolored region differing in color from surrounding skin by at least a predetermined level, and surrounding color being color of the skin surrounding the discolored region that is inside of the area that is printed on the sheet;
determining, based on at least one of color and size of the discolored region, a print type that includes at least one of use or nonuse of a base material containing a white pigment, a particle shape of a print material used in the printing, a scheme of the printing, and a use or non-use of shimmering material; and
outputting, to the printer apparatus, image data having a content of printing a print material in the surrounding color, on a region corresponding to the discolored region inside the sheet, and controlling an operation of the printer apparatus according to the determined print type,
wherein the determining also includes determining amount of white-color material per unit area based a color difference between the discolored region and the surrounding color.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shinoda Masayo

Classifications

• G06T2207/10024

  Color image · CPC title

• A61Q1/025

  Semi-permanent tattoos, stencils, e.g. "permanent make-up" · CPC title

• H04N1/00023

  Colour systems · CPC title

• H04N1/628 Primary

  Memory colours, e.g. skin or sky · CPC title

• B41J3/4075

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title