EP0318576A1 - Systeme d'impression d'images - Google Patents

Systeme d'impression d'images

Info

Publication number
EP0318576A1
EP0318576A1 EP19880906320 EP88906320A EP0318576A1 EP 0318576 A1 EP0318576 A1 EP 0318576A1 EP 19880906320 EP19880906320 EP 19880906320 EP 88906320 A EP88906320 A EP 88906320A EP 0318576 A1 EP0318576 A1 EP 0318576A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
signals
graphics
digital
image
look
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP19880906320
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Masaki Izumi
Wayne F. Niskala
Masamichi Yumino
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Eastman Kodak Co
Original Assignee
Eastman Kodak Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Eastman Kodak Co filed Critical Eastman Kodak Co
Publication of EP0318576A1 publication Critical patent/EP0318576A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
    • H04N1/40—Picture signal circuits
    • H04N1/407—Control or modification of tonal gradation or of extreme levels, e.g. background level
    • H04N1/4072—Control or modification of tonal gradation or of extreme levels, e.g. background level dependent on the contents of the original

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an image printer system having a printer equipped with color 5 correcting means capable of printing color corrected image and graphics data.
  • Fig. 1 shows one example of a conventional thermal printer system including the color correcting 10 means.
  • image signals transmitted from an imaging device such as a video camera or the like are A/D—converted by an image input device 1 and are then stored as digital signals or data in an image memory 2 incorporated in a thermal IB printer TP.
  • Graphics signals output from a graphics creating device such as a video camera or the like are A/D-converted by a graphics input unit 3 and are stored in a graphics memory 4 of the thermal printer TP.
  • the outputs of the image memory 2 and the graphics memory 4 are connected to a selector circuit 5.
  • the selector 5 selects the print data from the image memory 2 or the other print data from the graphics memory 4 under control of the control 5 circuit 6 (for instance, a microcomputer).
  • the selected data are supplied to a look—up table memory 7.
  • the look-up table memory 7 performs a color corrections on the print digital data supplied thereto in correspondence to a variety of the 0 properties of color donors of ink donor films.
  • a memory for example, ROM or RAM
  • the digital data on which the color 5 correction has been effected by the look—up table memory 7 are supplied through a thermal head driver 8 to the thermal head 9.
  • the heating elements of the thermal head 9 are selectively driven in accordance with the signals which have thus been stored in the shift register, thereby heating the ink donor films (not illustrated).
  • the printing is executed on a recording medium paper.
  • the look—up table stored in the memory 7 is used, in common for the color corrections of different kinds of data. For this reason, if the print data are input from two sets of cameras having different characteristics to the image printer system, there can arises defects in the color of the print. Also, since only one look—up table is provided, when concurrently printing different kinds of data, such as image data and graphics data, the same color correction is effected on both two sets of data, and a less than optimum quality print or picture is achieved.
  • a thermal printer system comprises a thermal printer; storage devices for storing a plurality of digital image signals obtained by effecting digital conversion on a plurality of analog image signals, means for storing a plurality of look-up tables with each table corresponding to a particular one of storage devices for performing a transformation on digital image signals to effect desired color corrections on such digital image signals supplied from the corresponding storage device; and a control circuit for selecting one of the look—up table memories and for causing the selected look-up table memory to provide its color—corrected digital image signals to the thermal printer.
  • the look-up table memories provided for each set of digital image signals supplied from the corresponding storage devices perform desired color corrections on each set of image signals thereby providing high image print quality for different types of data.
  • Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the prior art thermal image printer system
  • Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of thermal printer system according to the present invention.
  • Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a developed example of the thermal printer system according to the present invention.
  • Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of one embodiment of a thermal printing system according to the present invention.
  • like components are designated by the same reference numerals as used in Fig. 1.
  • analog image signals are A/D-converted by an image input device 1 and are then stored as digital image signals or data in an image memory 2 incorporated in a thermal printer TP.
  • analog graphics signals are A/D—converted by a graphics digital signals of input unit 3 and are likewise stored as graphics data in a graphics memory 4 of the thermal printer TP.
  • a control circuit 12 selects only one of the look—up table memories 10 and 11 at a time.
  • Various kinds of structures may be adopted for the control circuit 12. For instance, it is possible to employ a microcomputer which restores a format on the recording medium indicating where the image and the graphics are to be printed. In accordance with this format, the microcomputer makes a selection by enabling the image look—up table memory 11 when printing graphics data.
  • the print digital data output from one of the look—up table memories 10 and 11 are supplied to the thermal head driver 8. The subsequent processes have already been explained in accordance with Fig. 1 and the description thereof will be omitted.
  • Fig. 2 The ' operation of the embodiment of Fig. 2 will be described in connection with an example where a color picture of somebody's face and logograms (graphic data) are printed one after another.
  • the face is imaged by a video camera, and the video signals thereof are input to the image input device 1.
  • the image input device 1 divides the video signals into the color signals which exhibit the individual color components such as red (R) , green
  • the color signals are subsequently A/D—converted into digital image signals corresponding to the respective color components of R, G, and B.
  • the digital image signals are further converted into other digital image signals indicating the color components such as cyan, magenta, and yellow.
  • the digital image signals produced by the image input device 1 are stored in the image memory 2.
  • the logograms are input from another camera, the properties of which differ from those of the video camera that images the picture. As in the case of the former image signal processing, these video signals are converted into the digital graphics signals by means of the graphics input unit 3 and are then stored in the graphics memory 4.
  • the digital signals indicating logograms may be obtained by graphics—processing from a computer, and hence the digital signals from a computer can be stored in the graphics memory 4.
  • the control circuit 12 selects the image look-up table memory 10, and this memory 10 performs the color correction on digital image signals in accordance with the properties of the ink donor film and the difference in characteristics of the video camera.
  • the control circuit 12 selects the graphics look—up table memory 11.
  • This memory 11 performs the color correction on the graphics -data in accordance with the properties of the ink donor film. It will be understood that the color correction based on the in characteristics of the video camera has already been done by the image look-up table memory 10, so that the look-up table memory 11 does not generally carry out such color correction.
  • the graphics look-up table memory 11 may be a device which effects an artificial color correction (for example, a color correction in which specified colors are emphasized) on the graphics data.
  • the thermal head driver produces the data for controlling the ON-period of the heating elements of the thermal head 9 and sends the data to the thermal head 9 in accordance with image or graphics data.
  • Image data has been color—corrected by the look— p table memory 10.
  • Graphics data has been color—corrected by the look—up table memory 11. Since the look—up table memories are provided for each kind of data, it is possible to make the color correction for the difference characteristics of the respective video cameras. Owing to this color correction, the images having the best quality can be acquired.
  • look—up table memories having different color correction properties from each other can be employed as desired, and it is therefore possible to obtain different kinds of outputs appropriate to the printing process.
  • the best quality of the image can be acquired by providing three look—up table memories corresponding to the image data in the form of a picture, the logograms of a company mark or a school mark and the text such as an address or a name.
  • the number N of such devices is equal to 2 or more, and the same or different types of input video signals such as image signals and graphics signals, are input Look-up table memories 15 , 15. , ..., 15.. are provided, a b corresponding to the respective memories 14 — c *
  • the present invention has been described as improving prints in thermal printer systems.
  • the present invention can be applied to all types of image printer systems such as a laser printer system, an LED printer system, an ink jet printer system and the like.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Color, Gradation (AREA)
  • Facsimile Image Signal Circuits (AREA)
  • Record Information Processing For Printing (AREA)
  • Color Image Communication Systems (AREA)
  • Dot-Matrix Printers And Others (AREA)

Abstract

Le système d'impression d'images comprend une imprimante d'images telle qu'une imprimante thermique et des convertisseurs A/D pour convertir une pluralité de signaux d'images analogiques en une pluralité de signaux d'images numériques. Des mémoires sont prévues pour stocker une pluralité de tables de consultation dans le but d'effectuer une transformation sur les signaux d'images numériques et effectuer une correction couleur désirée sur ces signaux d'images numériques avant qu'ils ne soient imprimés.
EP19880906320 1987-06-12 1988-06-06 Systeme d'impression d'images Withdrawn EP0318576A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP62146723A JPS63312151A (ja) 1987-06-12 1987-06-12 画像用プリンタ
JP146723/87 1987-06-12

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0318576A1 true EP0318576A1 (fr) 1989-06-07

Family

ID=15414103

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19880906320 Withdrawn EP0318576A1 (fr) 1987-06-12 1988-06-06 Systeme d'impression d'images

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0318576A1 (fr)
JP (1) JPS63312151A (fr)
WO (1) WO1988010043A1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2505889B2 (ja) * 1989-08-31 1996-06-12 キヤノン株式会社 画像処理装置
JPH06103927B2 (ja) * 1989-10-25 1994-12-14 大日本スクリーン製造株式会社 トーンカーブ設定方法
GB2276511B (en) * 1990-07-03 1995-01-04 Electronics For Imaging Color correction system employing variant images
US5212546A (en) * 1990-07-03 1993-05-18 Electronics For Imaging, Inc. Color correction system employing reference pictures

Family Cites Families (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS5839168A (ja) * 1981-09-02 1983-03-07 Ricoh Co Ltd ガンマ補正装置
JPS58215882A (ja) * 1982-06-07 1983-12-15 インタ−ナシヨナル　ビジネス　マシ−ンズ　コ−ポレ−シヨン ドキユメント分類方法
JPS59123390A (ja) * 1982-12-28 1984-07-17 Seiko Epson Corp ビデオプリンタ−
JPS59123392A (ja) * 1982-12-28 1984-07-17 Seiko Epson Corp ビデオプリンタ−
JPS61138942A (ja) * 1984-12-12 1986-06-26 Fuji Photo Film Co Ltd カラ−フイルム検定装置の入力部のキャリブレ−ション方法
US4672466A (en) * 1985-02-05 1987-06-09 R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company Operator selectable multiple gradation scanner and engraver apparatus and method
US4639769A (en) * 1985-04-01 1987-01-27 Eastman Kodak Company Modifying color digital images
US4621271A (en) * 1985-09-23 1986-11-04 Eastman Kodak Company Apparatus and method for controlling a thermal printer apparatus

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO8810043A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPS63312151A (ja) 1988-12-20
WO1988010043A1 (fr) 1988-12-15

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