Image processing apparatus and image processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017287115-A1
Application number	US-201715470024-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 27, 2017
Priority date	Mar 31, 2016
Publication date	Oct 5, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An image processing apparatus has a stochastic resonance processing unit executing a stochastic resonance processing to obtain a result. The result corresponds to a result that is calculated in a case where each of a plurality of pixel signals constituting reading image data is added noise and subjected to a binary processing and a plurality of results obtained by parallelly performing above step are synthesized and the parallel number is infinite. The stochastic resonance processing unit sets, with regard to a pixel signal as a processing target among the plurality of pixel signals, at least one of a strength of the noise and a threshold value used for the binary processing based on a pixel signal of the input image data corresponding to the pixel signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An image processing apparatus, comprising:
a unit configured to acquire reading image data composed of a plurality of pixel signals by imaging an image that is printed by a printing unit based on input image data having a plurality of pixel signals; a stochastic resonance processing unit configured to execute a stochastic resonance processing in which each of the plurality of pixel signals constituting the reading image data is added noise and subjected to a binary processing and a plurality of results obtained by parallelly performing above step are synthesized; and an output unit configured to output the result of the stochastic resonance processing,
wherein
the stochastic resonance processing unit sets, with regard to a pixel signal as a processing target among the plurality of pixel signals, at least one of a strength of the noise and a threshold value used for the binary processing based on a pixel signal of the input image data corresponding to the pixel signal.

2 . An image processing apparatus, comprising:
a unit configured to acquire reading image data composed of a plurality of pixel signals by imaging an image printed by a printing unit based on input image data having a plurality of pixel signals; a stochastic resonance processing unit configured to execute a stochastic resonance processing to obtain a result corresponding to a result that is calculated in a case where each of the plurality of pixel signals constituting the reading image data is added noise and subjected to a binary processing and a plurality of results obtained by parallelly performing above step are synthesized and the parallel number is infinite equivalency; and an output unit configured to output the result of the stochastic resonance processing,
wherein
the stochastic resonance processing unit sets, with regard to a pixel signal as a processing target among the plurality of pixel signals, at least one of a strength of the noise and a threshold value used for the binary processing based on a pixel signal of the input image data corresponding to the pixel signal.

3 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the stochastic resonance processing unit calculates a difference between the plurality of pixel signals constituting the reading image data and the plurality of pixel signals constituting the input image data to add the noise to the difference to subject the difference to the binary processing.

4 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the respective pixel signals constituting the input image data are composed of R, G, and B brightness signals; and the stochastic resonance processing unit sets at least one of the strength of the noise and the threshold value used in the binary processing based on a brightness signal obtained by synthesizing the R, G, and B brightness signals.

5 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the respective pixel signals constituting the reading image data are composed of R, G, and B brightness signals; and the stochastic resonance processing unit performs the stochastic resonance processing on a brightness signal obtained by synthesizing the R, G, and B brightness signals.

6 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the printing unit prints the image using a plurality of printing elements; and the stochastic resonance processing unit sets at least one of the strength of the noise and the threshold value based on a pixel signals of the input image data and the printing status of the printing element corresponding to a pixel signal as the processing target.

7 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the printing unit is an inkjet printing apparatus; and the image processing apparatus further comprising a unit configured to detect an ink ejection status of the printing element as the printing status.

8 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the printing unit is an inkjet printing apparatus including a plurality of printing elements; and the singular portion is a white stripe caused by ejection failure of the printing element.

9 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the noise is white noise.

10 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the predetermined stochastic resonance processing is performed by using the following formula to calculate data J(x) obtained by processing input data I(x),

J
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T
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I
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0

I
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T
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K

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-

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K

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T

where T is a threshold value to quantize the input data and K is a noise strength.

11 . The image processing apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
an extraction unit configured to extract a singular portion

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Ishikawa Tomokazu
• Tanaka Wakako
• Suwa Tetsuya
• Hori Shinjiro

Classifications

• B41J2/2132

  Print quality control characterised by dot disposition, e.g. for reducing white stripes or banding (methods for local corrections by dot omission, image edge enhancement, or multi-pass mask selection G06K15/102; colour conversion H04N1/40) · CPC title

• B41J2/2142

  Detection of malfunctioning nozzles (generating single droplets or particles on demand by pressure, e.g. electromechanical transducers B41J2/045, B41J2/05; jet deflection sensors B41J2/125; for cleaning purposes B41J2/16579) · CPC title

• B41J2/2139

  Compensation for malfunctioning nozzles creating dot place or dot size errors (generating single droplets or particles on demand by pressure, e.g. electromechanical transducers B41J2/045) · CPC title

• G06T2207/30144

  Printing quality · CPC title

• G06T2207/20076

  Probabilistic image processing · CPC title