EP0465558A1 - Procede et appareil de separation de demi-teintes lors du traitement d'images en couleurs - Google Patents

Procede et appareil de separation de demi-teintes lors du traitement d'images en couleurs

Info

Publication number
EP0465558A1
EP0465558A1 EP90905852A EP90905852A EP0465558A1 EP 0465558 A1 EP0465558 A1 EP 0465558A1 EP 90905852 A EP90905852 A EP 90905852A EP 90905852 A EP90905852 A EP 90905852A EP 0465558 A1 EP0465558 A1 EP 0465558A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
screen
matrix
color
values
cell
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Withdrawn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
EP90905852A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0465558A4 (en
Inventor
Marcel Coderch Collell
Vicente Sosa Trivino
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.)
Color Group
Original Assignee
Color Group
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 Color Group filed Critical Color Group
Publication of EP0465558A1 publication Critical patent/EP0465558A1/fr
Publication of EP0465558A4 publication Critical patent/EP0465558A4/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current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
    • H04N1/46—Colour picture communication systems
    • H04N1/52—Circuits or arrangements for halftone screening

Definitions

  • the present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for making color prints and. more particularly for making half-tone screens for use in color printing.
  • an original color print or transparency is scanned by a photosensitive device that senses the variations in light intensity at each of the three primary color frequencies, namely, red, blue, and green.
  • the average light intensity level for each primary color for each incremental area (pixel) of the scanned original is quantized and stored digitally.
  • the digital values for red, green, and blue could be from other sources, such as by a programmed computer.
  • This data is then processed to convert the values to the equivalent light intensity levels required to produce the same color from the three primary pigment colors, cyan, magenta, and yellow. It is also desirable to introduce a "black" component in addition to the three basic colors in the processed output data.
  • a set of four screens are produced, using a suitable plotter, from these four sets of values.
  • Each screen called a half-tone screen, is in the form of a grid.
  • the grid may be in the form of physical openings or in the form of clear areas of a photographic negative.
  • the ratio of the area of each opening or clear area to the surrounding opaque area is determined by the required color intensity for the particular pixel of the reproduced image.
  • Each screen is then used to lay down a grid pattern of dots of the associated one of the three primary colors on the color print reproduction.
  • the resulting color print is a reproduction of the original but composed of certain patterns of four dots of varying size.
  • the human eye integrates these dot patterns into the various color tones and detail of the original.
  • the present invention is directed to an improved method of producing half-tone screens for color reproductions.
  • the screens do not require relative angular rotation to avoid the Moire effect. Instead, a rectilinear transposition of successive halftone screens is used to produce the color reproduction.
  • the shape and relative position of dots in the different separations are chosen to minimize color shifts due to variations in registration at the printing stage. More accurate conversion from the RGB colors to the cyan, magenta, yellow, and black is possible due to a more regular pattern of superposition. In the past this conversion has required a geometrical analysis that is complex and uses some simplifying assumptions and approximations that introduce some deterioration of color quality.
  • the present invention reduces the computational steps required to process the color data.
  • each screen is created by dividing the screen area into a plurality of cells, each cell corresponding to one half ⁇ tone period.
  • Each cell is formed by the plotter as a binary matrix of elemental areas, the plotter creating each elemental area in one of two states, e.g., clear or opaque.
  • the screen function matrices have the same dimensions as the cell matrices, so that each elemental area in a cell has a corresponding intensity level value in the screen function matrix.
  • Each cell of a picture screen is mapped to one or more particular pixel areas of the picture being reproduced.
  • the binary state for each elemental area within a cell is determined by comparing the corresponding intensity level value in the screen function matrix with the stored intensity level values derived from the associated pixel areas.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the invention
  • FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the form of the data generated by the scanner from an original color picture being reproduced
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the form of the data after conversion for printing
  • FIG. 4 is a diagram of screen cell as form by the plotter
  • FIGS. 5A-D are sets of diagrams showing examples of the four screen function matrices
  • FIGS. 6-9 are diagrams of screen cell patterns for each basic color at four different color intensities.
  • FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the superimposed color positions.
  • the numeral 10 indicates generally a scanner for receiving the original color picture that is to be reproduced.
  • the original may be a color photograph, for example, either a print or transparency.
  • the scanner may be of any well-known optical scanning device in which the picture is traversed in a raster type pattern by a photosensitive element that detects the level of reflected or transmitted light for each of the primary colors, red, green, and blue. These detected light intensity levels are converted to three electrical analog signals which are connected to an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 12.
  • A/D analog-to-digital
  • the scanner 10 generates two signals x and y which define the pixel position and the scanning line respectively of the scanning element as it moves relative to the picture.
  • the A/D converter 12 is synchronized with the pixel position signal x so that a digital output is generated with each predetermined incremental advance of the scanning element.
  • the picture is converted by the scanner 10 and A/D converter 12 into a series of picture elements (pixels) , the average light intensity in each pixel for each of the three basic colors being a digital value, preferably on a scale of O to 1.
  • pixels picture elements
  • the invention is not limited to any particular method of generating the digital color image data.
  • graphical information generated by a computer may be the source of the color image data.
  • the three digitized red, green, and blue output signals R, G and B, together with x and y position signals, are inputted to a digital computer 14.
  • the computer stores the data in memory as a picture matrix, shown by the diagram of FIG. 2.
  • the positions X m ,Y n in the stored picture matrix correspond to the pixel positions of the scanned original.
  • the three intensity level values R, G, and B for each pixel are stored in the corresponding position in the picture matrix.
  • the computer processes the data to convert it to an equivalent set of intensity values for the primary printing colors cyan, magenta, and yellow.
  • the mathematics for this conversion process is well known. See for example "Principles of Color Reproduction” by J.A.C. Yule, Wiley & Sons, 1967, Chapters 10 and 11.
  • a fourth set of values for black are also preferably computed.
  • the resulting data is stored in a print matrix, as shown in FIG.3, the four intensity level values C, M, Y, and K for each pixel being stored in the corresponding position x, y in the print matrix.
  • the print matrix data is used by the computer to provide control information to a plotter 16 which creates the four half-tone screens 18 required to make the color prints.
  • the plotter is a conventional high resolution x-y plotter.
  • the plotter printing element or stylus may be a laser beam, an ink jet, or other device capable of producing, on command, a contrasting dot in an elemental area on whatever medium the screen is being formed.
  • the stylus can be positioned by x-y coordinate digital input signals at any selected incremental area within the plotting range.
  • the screens may take a variety of forms depending on the particular printing process employed, such as a photographic negative. Once created, the screens are used in a conventional printer 20 to produce color prints.
  • the command signal for the stylus and the position control signals for the plotter are produced by the computer in the following manner.
  • the screen 18 being created is divided logically into cells 22, each cell corresponding to one half-tone period of the screen.
  • the cell size depends on the definition of the printing process. For example, printing on newsprint provides relatively poor definition and therefore the size of a cell can be relatively large.
  • the cell size is also limited by the elemental size (ES) of the plotter stylus. The more plotter dots within a cell, the better the color range of the reproduced prints. If the cell size is the same as the size of an elemental area, for example, no half ⁇ tones can be reproduced.
  • the cell size should be at least eight times the incremental area so that one cell includes sixty-four incremental areas.
  • a plotter dot or elemental area, indicated at 24, has a physical dimension ES that is fixed by the minimum spacing resolution of the particular plotter used.
  • the plotter is controlled by the computer to lay down a unique pattern of dots within each cell for each of the four half-tone screens needed to print a reproduction.
  • the pattern varies from cell to cell to satisfy the half-tone or color intensity level requirement of each cell.
  • the patterns are designed to minimize overlap of individual colors when the screens are superimposed.
  • the computer stores a set of four screen function matrices 26.
  • Each position in the screen function matrices therefore, has a corresponding plotter dot (elemental area) position 24 in a cell.
  • the computer stores a different value at each position in a screen function matrix, taken from a set of values representing all the levels of color intensity on a scale of 0 to 1.
  • the number of increments into which the intensity scale is divided is equal to the number of positions in the matrix, namely, n x n.
  • four screen function matrices 26 are shown by way of example, one for each of the four basic colors, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. In the figures, the numbers of the positions of each increment on the intensity scale are shown in place of the actual intensity level values.
  • the computer controls the plotter to advance the stylus from one elemental area to the next in a predetermined sequence.
  • the computer issues a binary control signal to the stylus to either activate the stylus or not.
  • the binary control signal is set by comparing the required color intensity level value for the particular half-tone period or cell as derived from the print matrix (see FIG. 3) , with the intensity level value stored in the screen function matrix for the particular stylus position (elemental area) within the cell. For example, only if the required color intensity level is greater than the value derived from the screen function matrix will the computer activate the stylus (or not activate the stylus depending on the particular printing process) .
  • Figures 6-9 show the plotted cells for each color at four different levels of color intensity.
  • Every cell has at least one pixel of the scanned original, as stored in the computer, associated with it. There does not have to be any one-to-one correspondence between the pixels and the cells, although this special case simplifies an understanding of the invention.
  • Mapping between the pixels and the cells is controlled by the computer so that a pixel value is assigned to each elemental area of the plotter. The same pixel value need not be assigned to every elemental area within a cell.
  • the mapping may vary depending on the relative size of the printed picture relative to the size of the original. For example, if a large magnification of picture size is required, it is obvious that a single pixel of the original picture may be used to control the color intensity of a number of cells or half-tone periods.
  • the number of pixels generated by the scanning process is to a degree independent of the number of cells in the printing process, the number of pixels being determined by the size (SS) of each pixel relative to the size of the original being scanned.
  • the cell boundaries do not necessarily coincide with the pixel boundaries, so that one cell may involve the intensity values from more than one of a group of adjacent pixels.
  • the intensity value of a single pixel may be used to control the plotter in more than one cell.
  • a set of screen function matrices for the four colors, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black is shown for a cell formed, for example, as an 8 8 binary matrix of plotter elemental areas.
  • the dimensions of the binary matrix are fixed by the ratio of the required cell size to the size of the elemental area produced by the particular plotter.
  • the intensity level numbers stored in each matrix are arranged in a predetermined pattern of positions which produce unique color patterns in the screen cells.
  • Figures 6-9 illustrate the color patterns generated for each of the four colors at each of four color intensity levels, namely, at 12.5%, 37.5%, 50% and 81.8% color intensity, respectively.
  • V 4 (i,j) V x (i, (j+n/2) mod n)
  • V 2 (i,j) V ⁇ ((i+n/4) mod n, (j+n/4) mod n)
  • V 3 (i,j) V 2 (i, (j+n/2) mod n) where "mod n" stands for modulo n. If n is not a multiple of four, analogous transformations become more complex in their mathematical definitions.
  • a significant aspect of the present invention is that not only do the screen function matrices produce different patterns for each color, each cell for each color has two distinct and separate color areas, and these two color areas are located differently for each of the four colors.
  • the arrangement of numbers in the screen function matrix shown in FIG. 5A for the color cyan produces two color areas in a screen cell (see FIGS. 6-9) that are approximately centered in two diagonal quadrants of the cell, while the arrangement of numbers in the screen function matrix shown in FIG. 5D for black produces two color areas approximately centered in the other two diagonal quadrants of the cell.
  • the numbers in the function screen matrices for magenta and yellow respectively approximately center two color areas respectively at the centers of two adjacent boundaries of the cell, and at the center and one corner of the cell.
  • the centers of the color areas for all four basic colors are arranged in the pattern shown in FIG. 10. It will be noted that, with increasing color intensity, the pattern of numbers in the screen function matrices produces expanding areas of color in the cells by causing additional contiguous elemental areas to be added to each of the two color areas. In the case of magenta and yellow, because some of the color areas are centered on the boundary of the cell, the areas expand into the adjacent cells.
  • each cell has only two areas centered in the cell, some cells, at higher than the minimum color intensity level, may, in effect, have more than two color areas within the boundaries of the cell.
  • the color areas for cyan and yellow are located at equally- spaced interspersed positions along a first diagonal A, while the color areas for magenta and black are located at equally-spaced interspersed positions along a second parallel diagonal B.
  • This arrangement insures the maximum spacing and minimum overlap between the colors in the pattern of color dots produced by the four screens. While a diagonal orientation of the color dots is preferred for best visual results, arrangement for the lines A and B at an arbitrary angle is equally possible.
  • the primary printing colors have been assigned to specific screen matrices by way of example. In practice, this assignment can be arbitrarily changed.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Facsimile Image Signal Circuits (AREA)
  • Color, Gradation (AREA)

Abstract

Selon un procédé de génération d'un ensemble d'écrans à demi-teintes (18) pour l'impression en couleurs (20) au moyen d'un ordinateur numérique (14) et d'un traceur de courbes (16), on génère et on enregistre une matrice fonctionnelle unique et séparée (26) pour chaque écran à demi-teinte (18). Chaque matrice (26) comprend un ensemble de valeurs d'intensité de la lumière échelonnées de zéro à un maximum, la séquence des nombres suivant un ordre prédéterminé différent pour chaque matrice. On génère et on enregistre ensuite une matrice de valeurs d'image qui représente les pixels et les niveaux souhaités d'intensité de chaque couleur fondamentale aux positions correspondantes de l'image à imprimer, puis on crée chaque écran (18) en divisant chaque zone d'écran en une pluralité de cellules (22). Chaque cellule (22) forme une matrice binaire de zones élémentaires (24) sélectivement transparentes ou opaques. Une des valeurs numériques converties de chaque couleur fondamentale d'un ensemble est attribuée à chaque cellule (22) des écrans correspondants (18) que l'on crée. On fixe les valeurs binaires des zones élémentaires (24) à l'intérieur d'une cellule (22) en comparant la valeur d'intensité convertie de la couleur fondamentale en question avec chaque valeur de la matrice fonctionnelle (26) de l'écran associé. La valeur binaire de chaque zone élémentaire (24) est fixée sur une valeur ou sur une autre selon que la valeur d'intensité est supérieure ou inférieure à la valeur comparée enregistrée dans la matrice fonctionnelle (26) de la cellule.
EP19900905852 1989-03-07 1990-03-07 Method and apparatus for producing half-tone separations in color imaging Withdrawn EP0465558A4 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US32007289A 1989-03-07 1989-03-07
US320072 1989-03-07

Publications (2)

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EP0465558A1 true EP0465558A1 (fr) 1992-01-15
EP0465558A4 EP0465558A4 (en) 1992-10-28

Family

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EP19900905852 Withdrawn EP0465558A4 (en) 1989-03-07 1990-03-07 Method and apparatus for producing half-tone separations in color imaging

Country Status (3)

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EP (1) EP0465558A4 (fr)
CA (1) CA2050289A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO1990010991A1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6072592A (en) * 1991-08-13 2000-06-06 Megadot Systems Limited Method and apparatus for preparing color screens in a halftone image
NZ239389A (en) * 1991-08-13 1997-11-24 Megadot Systems Ltd Preparing half tone images: dots have inwardly curved edges
EP0652671A3 (fr) * 1993-11-05 1995-06-21 Ibm Conversion d'images numériques en couleurs.
USRE41604E1 (en) 1999-03-16 2010-08-31 Megadot Systems Limited Halftone patterns
EP1370066A1 (fr) 2002-06-05 2003-12-10 Océ-Technologies B.V. Procédé et système pour le traitement d'une image en plusieurs couleurs
EP1370067B1 (fr) * 2002-06-05 2015-01-21 Océ-Technologies B.V. Procédé et système pour le traitement d'une image en plusieurs couleurs

Citations (2)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS62287775A (ja) * 1986-06-06 1987-12-14 Ricoh Co Ltd デジタルカラ−画像再生処理方法および装置
US4752822A (en) * 1983-03-08 1988-06-21 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Color halftone image processing apparatus producing various screen angles and having an adaptive color image data conversion look-up table and a small-capacity masking memory

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US3911480A (en) * 1972-12-08 1975-10-07 John P Brucker Generating screened half-tones by scanning
US4456924A (en) * 1980-04-14 1984-06-26 Scitex Corporation Ltd. Screened image reproduction
US4507685A (en) * 1982-06-25 1985-03-26 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Image recording device
JPS5977769A (ja) * 1982-10-27 1984-05-04 Canon Inc 像再生装置
US4533941A (en) * 1983-01-14 1985-08-06 Coulter Systems Corporation Method and apparatus for half-tone reproduction of a varying tone original image
JPS60113582A (ja) * 1983-11-24 1985-06-20 Ricoh Co Ltd 中間調画像処理方法
US4680625A (en) * 1984-07-18 1987-07-14 Konishiroku Photo Industry Co., Ltd. Method and apparatus for multicolor image forming
GB8613223D0 (en) * 1986-05-30 1986-07-02 Crosfield Electronics Ltd Half-tone reproduction

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4752822A (en) * 1983-03-08 1988-06-21 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Color halftone image processing apparatus producing various screen angles and having an adaptive color image data conversion look-up table and a small-capacity masking memory
JPS62287775A (ja) * 1986-06-06 1987-12-14 Ricoh Co Ltd デジタルカラ−画像再生処理方法および装置

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See also references of WO9010991A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0465558A4 (en) 1992-10-28
CA2050289A1 (fr) 1990-09-08
WO1990010991A1 (fr) 1990-09-20

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