Image processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, image processing method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016335781-A1
Application number	US-201615147034-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 5, 2016
Priority date	May 12, 2015
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

To make it possible to form a three-dimensional molded article having desired glossiness. An acquisition unit configured to acquire surface roughness data for forming a roughness-layer and glossiness data for forming a glossy layer that are used to form a three-dimensional molded article including at least the roughness-layer that forms roughness and the glossy layer that reproduces gloss, a derivation unit configured to derive a representative frequency that characterizes roughness of the roughness-layer from the acquired surface roughness data, and a correction unit configured to correct the glossiness data based on the derived representative frequency and output characteristics of an image forming apparatus that is used to output the three-dimensional molded article are included.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An image processing apparatus comprising:
an acquisition unit configured to acquire surface roughness data for forming a roughness-layer and glossiness data for forming a glossy layer that are used to form a three-dimensional molded article including at least the roughness-layer that forms roughness and the glossy layer that reproduces gloss; a derivation unit configured to derive a representative frequency that characterizes roughness of the roughness-layer from the acquired surface roughness data; and a correction unit configured to correct the glossiness data based on the derived representative frequency and output characteristics of an image forming apparatus that is used to output the three-dimensional molded article.

2 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the output characteristics are frequency response characteristics of surface roughness that are output by the image forming apparatus.

3 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a storage unit configured to store an LUT indicating the frequency response characteristics of the surface roughness, wherein
the correction unit finds a ratio of change in glossiness at the representative frequency by using the LUT and corrects the glossiness data by using the ratio of change.

4 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the glossiness data is data including the influence of surface roughness, the LUT includes information on a predetermined frequency at which the frequency response characteristics of surface roughness that are output by the image forming apparatus change, and the correction unit performs correction to increase the value of the glossiness data in accordance with the ratio of change in a case where the representative frequency is lower than the predetermined frequency.

5 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the glossiness data is data not including the influence of surface roughness, the LUT includes information on a predetermined frequency at which the frequency response characteristics of surface roughness that are output by the image forming apparatus change, and the correction unit performs correction to decrease the value of the glossiness data in accordance with the ratio of change in a case where the representative frequency is higher than the predetermined frequency.

6 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a determination unit configured to determine whether the glossiness data acquired by the acquisition unit is data including the influence of surface roughness, wherein
the LUT includes information on a predetermined frequency at which the frequency response characteristics of surface roughness that are output by the image forming apparatus change, and the correction unit:
in a case where the results of the determination indicate that the glossiness data is data including the influence of surface roughness, performs correction to increase the value of the glossiness data in accordance with the ratio of change if the representative frequency is lower than the predetermined frequency; and
in a case where the results of the determination indicate that the glossiness data is data not including the influence of surface roughness, performs correction to decrease the value of the glossiness data in accordance with the ratio of change if the representative frequency is higher than the predetermined frequency.

7 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising a user interface for inputting the presence/absence of the influence of surface roughness in the glossiness data, wherein
the determination unit performs the determination based on a user input via the user interface.

8 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the image forming apparatus is an ink jet image forming apparatus, and the predetermined frequency is a frequency at which it is no longer possible to form surface roughness having a frequency component corresponding to the surface roughness data due to ink spreading ejected for forming the roughness-layer.

9 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the derivation unit derives the representative frequency by resolving a surface roughness image represented by the surface roughness data into frequency components, and the representative frequency is one of a frequency with the maximum amplitude value, a frequency with the minimum amplitude value, a frequency of an average value, and a frequency of a median in a frequency space.

10 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
an acquisition unit configured to acquire surface roughness data for forming a roughness-layer and glossiness data for forming a glossy layer that are used to form a three-dimensional molded article including at least the roughness-layer that forms roughness and the glossy layer that reproduces gloss; a derivation unit configured to derive a representative frequency that characterizes roughness of the roughness-layer from the acquired surface roughness data; and a correction unit configured to correct the glossiness data based on the derived representative frequency and output characteristics of an image forming apparatus that is used to output the three-dimensional molded article, wherein the image forming apparatus comprises a unit configured to output the three-dimensional molded article by forming a roughness-layer and a glossy layer on a printing medium based the surface roughness data and the glossiness data.

11 . An image processing method of image data that is used to forma three-dimensional molded article, the method comprising the steps of:
acquiring surface roughness data for forming a roughness layer and glossiness data for forming a glossy layer that are used to form a three-dimensional molded article including at least the roughness-layer that forms roughness and the glossy layer that reproduces gloss; deriving a representative frequency that characterizes roughness of the roughness layer from the acquired surface roughness data; and correcting the glossiness data based on the derived representative frequency and output characteristics of an image forming apparatus that is used to output the three-dimensional molded article.

12 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform an image processing method of image data that is used to form a three-dimensional molded article, the method comprising the steps of:
acquiring surface roughness data for forming a roughness layer and glossiness data for forming a glossy layer that are used to form a three-dimensional molded article including at least the roughness-layer that forms roughness and the glossy layer that reproduces gloss; deriving a representative frequency that characterizes roughness of the roughness-layer from the acquired surface roughness data; and correcting the glossiness data based on the derived representative frequency and output characteristics of an image forming apparatus that is used to output the three-dimensional molded article.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Sano Toshiyuki

Classifications

• G03G15/225

  using contact-printing · CPC title

• G06T2207/30144

  Printing quality · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

  Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor · CPC title

• B29C64/129

  characterised by the energy source therefor, e.g. by global irradiation combined with a mask · CPC title

• B33Y50/02

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title