JP2019093723A - Image processing apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

To eliminate mismatch between texture of an object to be reproduced and a texture reproduction range.SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus performs processing for reproducing texture of an object on a recording medium. The image processing apparatus includes: an input section which inputs color information and gloss information on an object to be reproduced; a color mapping section which maps the color information in a color reproduction range of a texture reproduction device; a determination section which determines a gloss reproduction range in which the texture reproduction device can reproduce gloss for each region of the recording medium on the basis of the color information after the mapping; and an output section which outputs a signal indicating amount of a gloss adjusting agent to be recorded on the recording medium on the basis of the gloss information and the gloss reproduction range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to image processing for reproducing the texture of an object.

  There is a need for a printer that reproduces the texture of an object by controlling gloss and the like in addition to color. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for reproducing gloss by heating and melting heat fusible particles contained in a recording medium. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for quantizing gloss data in order to reproduce a texture well.

  However, the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a range of texture of an object to be reproduced (hereinafter, an object) and a range of texture that can be reproduced by a texture reproduction device such as a printer (hereinafter, a texture reproduction range). Do not consider eliminating the mismatch between Therefore, when the range of the texture of the object and the texture reproduction range of the texture reproduction device do not match, the texture of the object can not be reproduced appropriately.

JP, 2001-047732, A Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2010-246049

JIS Z 8722 "Measurement method of color-reflection and transmission object color" JIS Z 8781-4 "Colorimetry-Part 4: CIE 1976 L * a * b * color space" JIS Z 8741 "Specular gloss-measurement method" JIS K 7374 "Plastics-How to determine image definition" JIS H 8686-1 "Mapping test method of anodized film of aluminum and aluminum alloy-Part 1: Measuring method of visual sensation" ISO 13803 "Paints and varnishes" ASTM E430 "Standard Test Methods for Measurement of Gloss of High-Gloss Surfaces by Abridged Goniophotometry" JIS Z 8730 "Color display method-Color difference of object color"

  An object of the present invention is to eliminate the mismatch between the texture of an object to be reproduced and the range of texture reproduction.

  The present invention comprises the following configuration as a means for achieving the above object.

  According to the present invention, an image processing apparatus for performing processing for reproducing the texture of an object on a recording medium comprises: input means for inputting color information and gloss information of the object to be reproduced; A color mapping unit that maps to a color reproduction range; a determination unit that determines a gloss reproduction range in which the texture reproduction device can reproduce gloss for each area of the recording medium based on color information after the mapping; And output means for outputting a signal indicating an amount of the gloss adjustment agent to be recorded on the recording medium based on the gloss information and the gloss reproduction range.

  According to the present invention, by mapping the texture data of the object to be reproduced to the texture reproduction range, the mismatch between the texture of the object and the texture reproduction range is eliminated, and the reproduction in which the texture of the object is more appropriately reproduced You can get things.

The flowchart explaining an example of a texture reproduction process. Diagram illustrating gloss mapping. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing apparatus that executes image processing according to an embodiment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The overview figure explaining the structural example of a texture reproduction apparatus. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining multipass printing in which an image is formed by scanning the same line of a print sheet a plurality of times by a print head. FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of the configuration of a head cartridge. A block diagram explaining an example of processing composition in a texture reproduction system. The figure which shows an example of the device characteristic table of a texture reproduction apparatus. The figure which shows an example of a pass mask. 10 is a flowchart for describing an exemplary procedure of the texture reproduction process of the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining an example of processing configuration in the texture reproduction system of the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a block diagram for explaining an example of processing configuration in the texture reproduction system of the third embodiment. The figure which shows an example of a texture reproduction table. The figure explaining the conditions of the texture signal for verification. The figure which shows a typical variable reflection light characteristic.

  Hereinafter, an image processing apparatus and an image processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The examples do not limit the present invention according to the claims, and all combinations of configurations described in the examples are not necessarily essential to the solution means of the present invention.

[Texture reproduction]
First, texture reproduction will be described. In the following, an object to be reproduced including texture is referred to as an “object”, and an object obtained by the texture reproducing apparatus for reproducing an object is referred to as a “reproduction”. The texture reproduction is to obtain a reproduction that looks the same as the object. Here, when the object and the reproduction are compared and observed, a series of characteristics to be matched between the two because they appear to be the same It is called "texture".

  If the texture can be quantitatively expressed numerically, a reproduction that looks identical to the object can be obtained by generating the reproduction so that the numerical value matches the object. Below, the numerical value showing texture is called "texture signal."

  Below, texture shall be comprised from elements, such as a color, gloss, internal scattering, a shape, etc., for example. In the case where the printed matter which is flat and whose surface unevenness is sufficiently small is the object, by recording the image on the same planar media, it is possible to obtain a reproduction whose shape substantially matches the object. Also, differences in internal scattering in opaque objects have a small impact on visual differences. In these cases, the important elements of texture are color and gloss, and these two elements can be considered to constitute texture. Also in other cases color and gloss are the main elements of texture.

  For color signals that are numerical representations of colors, for example, CIELAB values measured according to Non-Patent Document 1 and calculated according to Non-Patent Document 2 can be used. CIELAB mainly represents characteristics regarding the brightness and chromaticity of diffuse reflection light. When the direction excluding the regular reflection direction and the direction near the regular reflection direction is the diffuse reflection direction, the diffuse reflection light corresponds to the reflection light in the diffuse reflection direction. If the reproduction is formed such that the CIELAB values match the object, the diffuse reflection direction can be made to substantially match the object.

  The gloss signal, which is a numerical expression of gloss, includes, for example, specular glossiness measured according to Non-Patent Document 3, image sharpness measured according to Non-Patent Document 4 or Non-Patent Document 5, Non-Patent Document 6 or Non-patent The value of the reflective haze measured according to the document 7 can be used.

  The specular glossiness is a characteristic of the brightness of regular reflection light, and the image sharpness and specular glossiness divided by the reflection haze is a characteristic of the sharpness of the illumination image reflected on the sample. Hereinafter, the characteristic relating to the sharpness of the illumination image is referred to as "imageability". Large image clarity means that the image sharpness is high and the value obtained by dividing the specular gloss by the reflected haze is high.

  If the reproduction is formed so that the specular gloss value and the image clarity value, that is, the value obtained by dividing the image sharpness and / or specular gloss by the reflection haze, matches the object, the appearance of the specular reflection direction is targeted. It can be made to almost match the thing.

  Hereinafter, for example, data composed of a CIE ALB value measured according to the above standard, a specular glossiness, and a texture signal corresponding to image clarity is referred to as “texture data”. The texture data is a kind of image data including at least color information and gloss information of an object, and has a texture signal for each minute region. The texture signal has, for example, a color signal corresponding to CIE ALB and a gloss signal corresponding to specular gloss and image clarity. The image clarity may be the image sharpness or a value obtained by dividing the specular glossiness by the reflection haze. Also, in the following, the micro area to which the texture signal corresponds is referred to as "area" or "pixel".

[Texture reproduction processing]
An example of the texture reproduction process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, texture data of an object is input (S101). In addition, when the texture of a target object changes with area | regions, the texture data corresponding to the texture signal for every area | region are input. For example, color image data has texture signals corresponding to CIELAB values for each region.

  Next, a texture signal (color signal and gloss signal) is acquired from the inputted texture data (S102), and information indicating the texture reproduction range of the texture reproduction device is acquired (S103). The texture reproduction range of the texture reproduction device is stored in advance in the storage device as information (hereinafter, reproduction range information) indicating a combination of CIELAB values, specular glossiness, and image clarity values reproducible by the device.

  Next, based on the color reproduction range indicated by the reproduction range information, the color signal of the texture signal is converted into a color signal corresponding to a color reproducible by the texture reproduction device (S104). The conversion in this step is "color mapping". Note that the color mapping in step S104 does not refer to the gloss signal. Therefore, if the color signals are the same, even if the gloss signals are different, they are converted to the same color signal.

  Color mapping may be performed by a known method. For example, the color signal of the texture signal is converted to a color signal corresponding to a color reproducible by the texture reproducing apparatus, which maintains the hue angle and has the smallest color difference ΔE. For the hue angle and the color difference ΔE, the value of the ab hue angle defined in Non-Patent Document 2 and the value of CIEDE 2000 defined in Non-Patent Document 8 can be used.

  Next, based on the reproduction range information, the reproducible color reproduction range is acquired while maintaining the color after color mapping (S105). That is, the combination of the specular glossiness including the CIELAB value of the color signal after color mapping and the value of the image clarity is extracted from the reproduction range information. The combination of the extracted specular gloss and the value of the image clarity corresponds to the reproducible gloss reproduction range while maintaining the color after color mapping.

  Next, the gloss signal of the texture signal is converted into a gloss signal corresponding to the gloss in the gloss reproduction range (S106). The transformation of this process is called "gloss mapping". That is, based on the gloss reproduction range acquired in step S105, the gloss signal is converted into a gloss signal within the gloss reproduction range. In other words, the gloss signal is converted to a gloss signal corresponding to reproducible gloss while maintaining color after color mapping.

  Since the gloss mapping in this embodiment is performed based on the color mapping result, even if the gloss signal of the texture data is the same, if the color signal of the texture data is different, it is not converted to the same gloss signal. There is a case.

  Next, an output signal to be output to the texture reproducing apparatus is generated based on the color signal after color mapping and the gloss signal after gloss mapping (S107). The texture reproduction device is, for example, an image recording device such as a printer, and the output signal is, for example, a signal related to the amount of color material included in the image recording device, which will be described later in detail.

  Next, a reproduction is generated based on the output signal by the texture reproduction device (S108). In addition, the data comprised with an output signal with respect to the "texture data" comprised with a texture signal are called "control data." In other words, steps S104 to S106 are steps of converting the input texture data into texture data corresponding to the texture reproducible by the texture reproducing apparatus. Step S107 is a step of converting the texture data obtained in steps S104 to 106 into control data of the texture reproducing apparatus.

  Note that the above procedure is an example, and for example, the reproduction range information may be acquired before the texture data is input.

Gloss Mapping The gloss mapping will be described with reference to FIG. The horizontal axis of the graph shown in FIG. 2 represents the image clarity value, the vertical axis represents the specular gloss value, the area 21 represents the gloss reproduction range, and the point 22 represents the gloss signal of the texture signal. For example, when reproduction with emphasis on specular gloss is performed, the gloss signal is converted into a gloss signal having the closest specular gloss in the gloss reproduction range 21. In the example of FIG. 2, the gloss signal 22 is mapped to the point 23, and a gloss signal close to the specular gloss of the input texture data is output. As a result, a reproduction having a small difference between the specular glossiness indicated by the input texture data is obtained.

  Further, in the case of performing reproduction with emphasis on image clarity, the gloss signal is converted into a gloss signal in which the value of image clarity in the gloss reproduction range 21 is closest. In the example of FIG. 2, the gloss signal 22 is mapped to the point 24, and a gloss signal close to the image clarity of the input texture data is output. As a result, a reproduction having a small difference from the image clarity indicated by the input texture data is obtained.

  If it is desired to approximate both specular gloss and image clarity to the texture data, the gloss signal 22 is mapped to the closest point on the boundary of the gloss reproduction range 21.

[Device configuration]
The block diagram of FIG. 3 shows the example of a structure of the information processing apparatus which performs the image processing of an Example. A microprocessor (CPU) 201 executes programs stored in a storage unit 203 such as an HDD or an SSD or a ROM 204 using a main memory 202 such as a RAM as a work memory, and controls a configuration to be described later via a system bus 205. . The storage unit 203 and the ROM 204 store programs and various data for realizing the above-described texture reproduction processing (S101 to S1067) for reproducing the texture of the object.

  The USB or other general-purpose interface (I / F) 206 includes an instruction input unit 207 such as a keyboard or mouse, a recording medium such as a USB memory or memory card (a computer readable medium) 208, a texture reproduction device 209, etc. Connected In addition, on the monitor 211 connected to the video card (VC) 210, the CPU 201 displays a user interface (UI) and information indicating processing progress and processing results.

  For example, the CPU 201 loads an application program (AP) stored in the ROM 204, the storage unit 203 or the recording medium 208 into a predetermined area of the main memory 202 in accordance with a user instruction input via the instruction input unit 207. Then, the AP is executed, and the UI is displayed on the monitor 211 according to the AP.

  Next, the CPU 201 loads various data stored in the storage unit 203 or the recording medium 208 into a predetermined area of the main memory 202 according to a user instruction. Then, predetermined arithmetic processing is performed on various data loaded to the main memory 202 according to the AP. Then, the CPU 201 displays the calculation processing result on the monitor 211 according to the user's instruction, stores it in the storage unit 203 or the recording medium 208, and outputs it to the texture reproduction device 209. The CPU 201 can also acquire various types of information from the texture reproduction device 209 via the general-purpose I / F 206.

  Note that the CPU 201 can also transmit and receive programs, data, and arithmetic processing results with computer devices and server devices on a wired or wireless network via a network I / F (not shown) connected to the system bus 205. it can. Further, the monitor 211 and the instruction input unit 207 may be a touch panel in which they are overlapped, in which case the information processing apparatus is a computer device such as a tablet device or a smartphone.

[Configuration of texture reproduction device]
A configuration example of the texture reproduction device 209 will be described with reference to the outline view of FIG. FIG. 4 shows an example of an inkjet type image forming apparatus as the texture reproduction apparatus 209.

  A head cartridge 3201 replaceably mounted on the carriage 3202 has a recording head having a plurality of recording elements corresponding to a plurality of recording material discharge ports, and an ink tank for supplying ink to the recording head. Furthermore, the head cartridge 3201 has a connector for transmitting and receiving signals of the recording head such as drive signals of the respective recording elements.

  The carriage 3202 has a connector holder for transmitting a signal to the head cartridge 3201 via a connector, and can reciprocate along the guide shaft 3203. That is, the position and movement of the carriage 3202 are controlled by a drive mechanism including a motor pulley 3205 driven by the main scanning motor 3204 and a driven pulley 3206, a timing belt 3207 and the like. The discharge port surface of the head cartridge 3201 is held so as to protrude downward from the carriage 3202 and be parallel to the recording sheet 3208. The movement of the carriage 3202 along the guide shaft 3203 is the “main scan”, and the movement direction is the “main scan direction”.

  The recording sheet 3208 is loaded on an auto sheet feeder (ASF) 3210. At the time of image formation, the pickup roller 3212 is driven by the feed motor 3211 through a gear, and the recording sheet is separated one by one from the ASF 3210 and fed. Then, the recording paper 3208 is conveyed to the recording start position facing the discharge port surface of the head cartridge 3201 on the carriage 3202 by the rotation of the conveyance roller 3209. The conveyance roller 3209 is driven by a line feed (LF) motor 3213 through a gear. The determination as to whether or not the recording sheet 3208 has been conveyed to the recording start position is made by the passage detection of the recording sheet 3208 by the paper end sensor 3214.

  After the recording sheet 3208 is conveyed to the recording start position, the carriage 3202 moves on the recording sheet 3208 along the guide shaft 3203, and at the time of movement, the ink is ejected from the respective discharge ports of the recording head according to the drive signal. Ru. When the moving carriage 3202 reaches one end of the guide shaft 3203, the recording paper 3208 is conveyed by a predetermined distance in the direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction by the conveyance roller 3209. The conveyance of the recording paper 3208 is "paper feeding" or "sub-scanning", and the conveyance direction is "paper feeding direction" or "sub-scanning direction".

  When the feeding of the recording sheet 3208 is completed, the carriage 3202 moves again along the guide shaft 3203, and the ink is discharged from the discharge ports of the recording head according to the drive signal. In this manner, main scanning and paper feeding (sub scanning) by the carriage 3202 are repeated to form an image on the recording paper 3208.

  A multipass printing in which an image is formed by scanning the same line of the recording paper 3208 a plurality of times by the recording head will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows two-pass printing, for example, image printing for the printing width L of the printing head is performed in the main scan, and the printing paper 3208 is separated by a distance L / 2 in the sub scanning direction each time printing for one main scan is completed. Transport by minutes. The recording of the area A shown in FIG. 5 is completed by the mth main scan and the m + 1st main scan, and the recording of the area B is completed by the m + 1st main scan and the m + 2th main scan.

  When n-pass printing is performed, the recording sheet 3208 is transported by the distance L / n in the sub-scanning direction each time recording for one main scanning is completed, and the recording head performs main scanning n times on the same line of the recording sheet 3208 Thus, an image is to be formed. The recording width L corresponds to the length in the sub-scanning direction of the ejection opening array, and corresponds to the length in the sub-scanning direction of the area that the texture reproduction device 209 can record by one main scanning.

  Generally, the larger the number of printing passes, the longer the time required for image formation, but the effects of variations in ejection amount and ejection direction for each ink ejection port of the recording head are suppressed, and uneven density becomes less noticeable. Also, the greater the number of recording passes, the wider the range of texture reproduction can be. Furthermore, the amount of ink to be printed in one pass decreases, and the dots formed in one pass are dispersed. Then, by printing a plurality of passes, fine dots are superimposed to form fine unevenness on the surface of the recording paper 3208. As a result, the scattering of the surface reflected light becomes large, and the gloss with small image clarity can be reproduced.

  Conversely, when the number of printing passes is limited and image formation is performed with a small number of printing passes, the amount of ink printed by one pass increases, and the ink forms a layer and contributes to the smoothing of the surface of the printing paper 3208 As a result, the scattering of the surface reflected light is reduced, and the gloss having high image clarity can be reproduced. However, the level of surface irregularities to be formed depends on the physical properties of the recording material and varies depending on the type of recording material. In addition, the amount of colorant also changes depending on the color to be reproduced. Therefore, the range of controllable image clarity varies depending on the color. In other words, the reproduction range of image clarity changes depending on the color.

  When n-pass printing is performed in the multipass printing shown in FIG. 5, the printing width in one main scan is L / n because the printing paper 3208 is transported by the distance L / n in the subscanning direction for each main scan. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, although details will be described later, a reproduced material is generated by performing main scanning of the same unit recording area a plurality of times with the area that can be recorded by the texture reproducing apparatus as one unit scanning area. Become.

Recording Head FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of a head cartridge 3201. The head cartridge 3201 has an ink tank 601 for storing ink as a recording material, and a recording head 602 for discharging the ink supplied from the ink tank 601 according to a discharge signal. The head cartridge 3201 independently includes, for example, ink tanks of yellow Y, magenta M, cyan C, black K, a first gloss adjustment material A, and a second gloss adjustment material B. Each ink tank 601 is detachable with respect to the recording head 602, as shown in FIG. 6B.

  It is desirable that the gloss adjusting material A and the gloss adjusting material B be colorless and transparent materials having different refractive indexes. However, the gloss adjusting material may be a slightly colored material that is not completely transparent, and may be a material that is nearly colorless and transparent. The refractive index of the gloss adjustment material A is larger than the refractive index of the gloss adjustment material B.

  The area where the gloss adjusting material A having a large refractive index is recorded on the uppermost surface (the outermost surface) of the recording surface has a large reflectance, and it is possible to reproduce the gloss having a large specular gloss. On the contrary, in the area where the gloss adjusting material B having a small refractive index is recorded on the outermost surface, the reflectance is small, and the gloss having a small specular gloss can be reproduced. Then, by adjusting the use ratio of the gloss adjustment materials A and B in the area, it is possible to reproduce the intermediate specular glossiness of the specular glossiness when using them alone.

  However, the total amount of recordable recording materials is limited. Further, since the amount of coloring material used varies depending on the color to be reproduced, the amount of usable gloss adjusting material varies depending on the color. Therefore, the range of controllable specular glossiness varies depending on the color. In other words, the reproduction range of specular gloss changes depending on the color.

[Processing configuration of texture reproduction system]
An example of processing configuration in the texture reproduction system will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The processing configuration and functions shown in FIG. 7 are realized by the image processing apparatus 1100 realized by the execution of the program for the above-mentioned image processing (S101 to S107) by the CPU 201 and the operations of the texture reproduction apparatus 209 based on the instructions of the CPU 201. Be done.

  The data input unit 1101 inputs texture data composed of texture signals from the storage unit 203, the recording medium 208, a server device (not shown), or the like. The texture signal is composed of a color signal and a gloss signal, and each pixel of the texture data has a gloss signal GlSp in addition to the general color signal RGB. The gloss signal Gl is a signal corresponding to the specular gloss, and the gloss signal Sp is a signal corresponding to the image clarity.

  The texture signal RGBGlSp that constitutes the texture data is, for example, a digital signal of 40 bits in total, each element having 8 bits. The format of the texture data is not limited to the above. For example, two types of data of image data composed of color signals RGB and gloss data composed of gloss signals GlSp may be inputted.

  The texture signal acquisition unit 1102 converts the input texture signal into a color signal Lab corresponding to CIELAB, a gloss signal g corresponding to specular gloss, and a gloss signal s corresponding to image clarity. The texture signal Labgs output from the texture signal acquisition unit 1102 is preferably a device-independent signal corresponding to the measurement value.

  For conversion from color signal RGB to color signal Lab, a conversion method defined for a standard color space such as sRGB or Adobe RGB may be used. Alternatively, a color corresponding to color signal RGB is obtained using a known interpolation operation that refers to a color table (three-dimensional look-up table) in which the correspondence between color signal RGB stored in storage unit 203 or the like and color signal Lab is described. The signal Lab may be calculated.

  The defined standard conversion method may be used for the conversion from the gloss signal Gl to the gloss signal g and the conversion from the gloss signal Sp to the gloss signal s. Alternatively, conversion may be performed by interpolation calculation referring to a gloss table in which the correspondence between the gloss signal Gl and the gloss signal g stored in the storage unit 203 or the like and the correspondence between the gloss signal Sp and the gloss signal s are described.

  When a color table or gloss table is used, a color table or gloss table is preferably prepared for each type of texture data and each texture acquisition device that has generated texture data, for example, identification information described in the header of the texture data Select the table to be used for conversion based on. Of course, a table used for conversion may be selected based on a user instruction.

  The texture mapping unit 1103 performs color mapping and gloss mapping with reference to reproduction range information of the texture reproduction device 209 stored in the storage unit 203 or the like. The color mapping unit 1111 converts the color signal Lab into a color signal L′ a′b ′ corresponding to the color reproducible by the texture reproduction device 209 based on the color reproduction range indicated by the reproduction range information. The gloss reproduction range acquisition unit 1112 acquires the gloss reproduction range of the texture reproduction device 209 capable of maintaining the color signal L′ a′b ′ after color mapping with reference to the reproduction range information. The gloss mapping unit 1113 converts the gloss signal gs into a gloss signal g's' within the gloss reproduction range.

  The signal conversion unit 1104 mixes the texture signal L'a'b'g's' with the recording material amount signal (color material amount signal CMYK and gloss adjustment material amount signal AB) corresponding to the recording material amount of the texture reproduction device 209, It is converted into a recording method signal (hereinafter, “pass number signal P”) indicating the recording method of the reproduction device 209. The conversion of the signal conversion unit 1104 is performed with reference to the device characteristic table of the texture reproduction device 209 stored in the storage unit 203 or the like.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of the device characteristic table of the texture reproduction device 209. The device characteristic table describes the discrete recording material amount signal CMYKAB and the texture signal Labgs corresponding to the pass number signal P. The colorant amount signal CMYK is a signal related to the colorant amount, and is, for example, a digital signal of 8 bits for each color. The gloss adjustment material amount signal AB is a signal related to the amount of the gloss adjustment materials A and B, and is, for example, an 8-bit digital signal. The pass number signal P is a signal related to the recording pass number n. For example, the pass number signal P has a value of 1 to 16. The pass number signal P = 1 is for one pass recording, the pass number signal P = 2 is for two pass recording,..., The pass number signal P = 16 is for 16 passes. Show each record.

  The halftone processing unit 1105 subjects the recording material amount signal CMYKAB output by the signal conversion unit 1104 to halftone processing by the error diffusion method or the systematic dither method, and generates a binary signal C ′ M corresponding to the resolution of the texture reproduction device 209. Output 'Y'K'A'B'. The binary signal C'M'Y'K'A'B 'indicates recording or non-recording of dots of the coloring material and the gloss adjustment material, in other words, recording positions of dots of the coloring material and the gloss adjustment material. The dot is recorded, for example, at the position where the signal value is '1', and not recorded at the position where the signal value is '0'.

  The output signal generation unit 1106 performs pass decomposition based on the pass number signal P and the binary signal C′M′Y′K′A′B ′ after halftone processing indicating the dot arrangement of the color material and the gloss adjustment material. Processing is performed to generate an output signal to be output to the texture reproduction device 209. The pass resolution processing calculates the logical product of the pass mask and the binary signal C'M'Y'K'A'B ', and the dot placement signal C "M" Y "indicating the dot placement of the recording material to be printed in each pass. K "A" B "is generated as an output signal.

  The pass mask is configured of, for example, 16 sets from 1 pass printing to 16 pass printing, and the output signal generation unit 1106 selectively uses a pass mask set corresponding to the pass number signal P. For example, in the case of the pass number signal P = 2, the dot arrangement of the cyan color material of the first pass is two for indicating the dot recording position of the cyan color material and the pass mask for the first pass of the two-pass recording pass mask set. It is generated by the logical product with the value signal C ′.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of the pass mask. Note that FIG. 9 shows an example in which the pass mask is 4 × 4 (an example in which the number of nozzles per recording material of the recording head is four and the maximum four-pass recording) for the sake of simplicity. When performing one-pass printing to sixteen-pass printing, at least the number of nozzles per printing material is 16, and the pass mask is 16 × 16.

  FIG. 9A shows a pass mask for the first pass for one pass recording. In the 1-pass printing, in order to print all dots in the first pass, '1' is set in all cells of the pass mask.

  FIGS. 9 (b) and 9 (c) show a pass mask set for 2-pass printing, FIG. 9 (b) shows a pass mask for the first pass, and FIG. 9 (c) shows a pass mask for the second pass. In 2-pass printing, since dots are divided and printed in the first pass and the second pass, a value obtained by inverting the value of each cell in the pass mask for the first pass is set in each cell in the pass mask for the second pass .

  9 (d) to 9 (g) show a pass mask set for 4-pass recording, FIG. 9 (d) is a pass mask for the first pass, FIG. 9 (e) is a pass mask for the second pass, FIG. 9 (f) is a pass mask for the third pass, and FIG. 9 (g) is a pass mask for the fourth pass. In 4-pass printing, dots are divided into four passes from the first pass to the fourth pass, so that cells of value '1' do not overlap between pass masks, and they are equally distributed in each pass mask. , Cell values are set.

  As described above, in the n-pass printing, since dots are divided and printed in n passes from the first pass to the n-th pass, cells of value '1' do not overlap between pass masks, and uniform arrangement in each pass mask The cell value is set to be Note that different pass masks may be prepared for each type of recording material.

  The processing of the texture signal acquisition unit 1102, the texture mapping unit 1103, the signal conversion unit 1104, the halftone processing unit 1105, and the output signal generation unit 1106 is performed for each pixel. Therefore, by switching the pass mask set to be applied to pass resolution in accordance with the pass number signal P for each pixel, the output signal generation unit 1106 controls the dot placement signal C "M" Y "for which the number of printing passes is controlled for each pixel. K "A" B "is generated.

  The output signal generation unit 1106 stores the dot arrangement signal C “M”, “Y”, “K”, “A”, “B” for each recording path in the path buffer 1107 allocated to the main memory 202 or the storage unit 203. The pass buffer 1107 is similar to a line buffer capable of storing data of a plurality of lines, and can store dot arrangement signals C "M" Y "K" A "B" of a plurality of recording paths.

  For example, when performing 1 pass printing to 16 passes printing, the data of the storage area corresponding to the 1st pass of the pass buffer 1107 indicates the position at which each printing material should be discharged in the 1st pass. Similarly, the data in the storage area corresponding to the second pass indicates the position at which each recording material should be discharged in the second pass,..., The data in the storage area corresponding to the sixteenth pass indicates each recording material in the sixteenth pass. Indicates the position to be discharged. In other words, the logical sum of the data stored in the storage area corresponding to each recording pass of the pass buffer 1107 indicates the position at which each recording material is to be ejected in the unit recording area corresponding to the recording width L of the recording head. Become.

  The recording unit 1108 of the texture reproduction device 209 performs main scanning of the unit recording area, for example, 16 times. At that time, dot arrangement signals C "M" Y "K" A "B" are sequentially output as output signals of the image processing apparatus 1100 from the storage area of the pass buffer 1107 corresponding to the main scanning. The recording unit 1108 drives the recording head based on the dot arrangement signal C "M" Y "K" A "B" to discharge the recording material to each nozzle. When the recording of the unit recording area is completed, the recording unit 1108 conveys the recording sheet 3208 by the recording width L and performs the recording of the next unit recording area. The recording operation of such a unit recording area is repeated to generate a reproduction 1109.

  When the logical sum of the data stored in each storage area of the pass buffer 1107 is “0”, it is not necessary to discharge the recording material in the recording pass corresponding to the storage area. In such a case, the printing unit 1108 can skip the main scan of the printing pass and proceed to the processing of the next printing pass. That is, even when the pass number signal P is set to have a value of, for example, 1 to 16, 16 main scans per unit recording area are not always required. In other words, the main scan of the unit recording area is repeated from once to a predetermined number of times corresponding to the maximum value of the pass number signal P.

  In addition, the output order of the dot arrangement signal may be an ascending order or a descending order of the first pass to the nth pass. Alternatively, random output order is also possible. Also, each storage area of the pass buffer 1107 is cleared after the processing of the printing unit 1108 regarding the main scan for n passes of printing (not necessarily the movement of the printing head for n passes is completed). Alternatively, the storage area may be cleared when the processing of the recording unit 1108 regarding the main scan of the recording path corresponding to the storage area (the movement of the recording head is not necessarily required in the recording path) is completed.

  As described above, after color mapping of the color signal of the texture signal to the color reproduction range of the texture reproduction device 209, the gloss signal of the texture signal is gloss mapped to the gloss reproduction range where the color after color mapping can be maintained. In other words, the color to be reproduced is determined from the color reproduction range of the texture reproduction device, and thereafter, the color is maintained to determine the gloss to be reproduced from the gloss reproduction range reproducible by the texture reproduction device. Furthermore, by controlling the number n of printing passes for each pixel, the image clarity is controlled for each pixel to generate a reproduction 1109 that suitably reproduces the texture of the object indicated by the texture data.

  Therefore, even when the texture of the object is outside the texture reproduction range of the texture reproduction device 209, or even when the gloss reproduction range of the texture reproduction device 209 differs depending on the color, a reproduction that suitably reproduces the texture of the object indicated by the texture data. 1109 can be generated. In particular, when a picture is reproduced, the difference in color between the object and the reproduction greatly affects the difference in appearance, but according to the present embodiment in which priority is given to maintaining the color, the color of the object is reproduced well. can do.

  Also, step S101 of the texture reproduction procedure shown in FIG. 1 is processing executed by the data input unit 1101, step S102 is the texture signal acquisition unit 1102, and step S103 is the processing performed by the texture mapping unit 1103. Step S104 is processing performed by the color mapping unit 1111, step S105 is processing performed by the gloss reproduction range acquisition unit 1112, and step S106 is processing performed by the gloss mapping unit 1113. Similarly, step S107 is processing performed by the signal conversion unit 1104, halftone processing unit 1105, and output signal generation unit 1106 that constitute the signal generation unit 1110, and step S108 is processing performed by the recording unit 1108.

  Further, FIG. 7 shows an example in which the data input unit 1101 to the output signal generation unit 1106 of the image processing apparatus 1100 are realized by the information processing apparatus shown in FIG. 3 that executes the image processing shown in FIG. It is also possible to incorporate those processing units into the texture reproduction device 209.

[Modification]
In the above description, gloss mapping emphasizing specular gloss and gloss mapping emphasizing image clarity have been described. However, it is possible to determine which of specular gloss and image clarity should be emphasized according to user instructions, texture data, and image areas. You may switch accordingly. Alternatively, emphasis on specular gloss or emphasis on image clarity may be switched according to a color reproduction error in color mapping.

  Hereinafter, an image processing apparatus and an image processing method according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, in Example 2, about the structure substantially the same as Example 1, the same code | symbol may be attached | subjected and the detailed description may be abbreviate | omitted.

  In the second embodiment, an example will be described in which the gloss signal is corrected based on the color mapping result and the gloss signal is applied to the corrected gloss signal. A procedure example of the texture reproduction process of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  The color signal after color mapping is generated by the same processing (S101 to S105) of the first embodiment, and when the color reproduction range is acquired, the color reproduction error is calculated from the color signal before and after the color mapping (S111) . As the color reproduction error, for example, the lightness difference ΔL between the two is calculated.

  Next, the gloss signal of the texture signal is corrected according to the color reproduction error (S112). This correction is a process for compensating for the color reproduction error by the gloss, and for example, the gloss signal corresponding to the specular gloss is corrected according to the calculated lightness difference ΔL. Then, the gloss signal after correction is converted into a gloss signal corresponding to the gloss in the gloss reproduction range (S106). The subsequent processing is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the detailed description will be omitted.

  Generally, the higher the specular gloss, the brighter the reproduction is. For example, when a darker color than the color to be reproduced originally is to be reproduced because the lightness indicated by the input texture data is larger than the lightness that can be reproduced by the texture reproduction device, a gloss signal to reproduce with a larger specular glossiness Is corrected. Conversely, if the lightness indicated by the texture data is smaller than the lightness that can be reproduced by the texture reproduction device, and if a brighter color than the color originally intended to be reproduced is reproduced, the gloss signal is corrected so as to be reproduced with smaller specular glossiness. Be done.

  The above procedure is an example, and for example, reproduction range information may be acquired before inputting texture data, or calculation of a color reproduction error and correction of a gloss signal may be performed before acquisition of a gloss reproduction range. It is also good.

[Processing configuration of texture reproduction system]
A processing configuration example in the texture reproduction system of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The processing configuration and functions shown in FIG. 11 are the operations of the image processing apparatus 1100 realized by execution of the program for image processing (S101 to S107) shown in FIG. 10 by the CPU 201, and the operations of the texture reproduction apparatus 209 based on instructions of the CPU 201. Is realized by

  The image processing apparatus 1100 of the second embodiment differs in the configuration of the texture mapping unit 1103 from the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 7, but the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and detailed descriptions of those configurations will be omitted. . The texture mapping unit 1103 has a color reproduction error calculation unit 1114 and a gloss signal correction unit 1115 in addition to the color mapping unit 1111, the gloss reproduction range acquisition unit 1112 and the gloss mapping unit 1113 similar to the first embodiment.

The color reproduction error calculation unit 1114 executes the processing of step S111 for calculating a color reproduction error from color signals before and after color mapping. The gloss signal correction unit 1115 executes the processing of step S112 of correcting the gloss signal of the texture signal according to the color reproduction error. The correction of the gloss signal g corresponding to the specular gloss is performed using, for example, the following equation.
ΔL = L-L ';
g "= g + α × ΔL; ... (1)
Here, L is the lightness value before mapping,
L 'is the lightness value after mapping,
α is a predetermined constant,
g "is the gloss signal after correction.

  Also, the gloss mapping unit 1113 executes the processing of step S106 of converting the gloss signal g ′ ′s into the gloss signal g ′s ′ within the gloss reproduction range. That is, the corrected gloss signal g ′ ′ and the texture signal acquisition unit 1102 The output gloss signal s is converted into a gloss signal g's' within the gloss reproduction range.

  As described above, the gloss signal is corrected based on the color reproduction error of the color mapping result, and the gloss mapping is performed on the corrected gloss signal, so that the overall difference in appearance between the object and the reproduction object can be reduced. it can.

[Modification]
In the above, an example in which the gloss signal g is corrected based on the lightness error ΔL has been described, but the saturation error ΔC = CC ′ which is the difference between the saturation value C before mapping and the saturation value C ′ after mapping The gloss signal g may be corrected based on that. In general, as the specular glossiness is higher, the illumination light is biased and incident on the eye, so that the saturation of the reproduced material is felt lower. Therefore, if the color indicated by the input texture data is larger than the saturation reproducible by the texture reproduction device, and if a more dull color than the color originally intended to reproduce is reproduced, it is reproduced with a smaller specular glossiness To correct the gloss signal g.

  Similarly, the gloss signal g may be corrected based on the hue error Δh. In this case, not only the brightness information but also color information is included in the gloss signal g corresponding to the specular gloss. Then, the hue error of the color before and after the color mapping is corrected to compensate for the hue difference of the gloss. For example, when the hue indicated by the input texture data is stronger in red than the hue reproducible by the texture reproduction device, the gloss signal g is corrected so that the red of the regular reflection light is reproduced larger. Similarly, when the hue indicated by the texture data is stronger than the hue reproducible by the texture reproducing apparatus, the gloss signal g is corrected so that the yellow of the specular reflection light is reproduced more largely.

  A configuration is also possible in which the correction of the gloss signal g is applied to only a specific color. In this case, for example, an area extraction unit for extracting a gold area or a metal color area is added, and only when the saturation reproducible by the texture reproducing apparatus is lower than the saturation indicated by the texture data input in the extracted area. The gloss signal g of the area is corrected so that a larger specular gloss is reproduced.

  Hereinafter, an image processing apparatus and an image processing method according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, in Example 3, about the structure substantially the same as Example 1, 2, the same code | symbol may be attached | subjected and the detailed description may be abbreviate | omitted.

  In the third embodiment, an example in which texture data is directly converted to a control signal of the texture reproduction device 209 will be described. A processing configuration example in the texture reproduction system of the third embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The processing configuration and functions shown in FIG. 12 are performed by the operation of the image processing apparatus 1100 realized by execution of a program for image processing that converts texture data into a control signal by the CPU 201 and the operation of the texture reproduction apparatus 209 based on instructions of the CPU 201. To be realized.

  As in the first embodiment, the data input unit 1101 inputs texture data RGBGlSp configured by texture signals from the storage unit 203, the recording medium 208, a server device (not shown), or the like. The signal conversion unit 1201 uses the texture data RGBGlSp as a recording material amount signal (color material amount signal CMYK and gloss adjustment material amount signal AB) corresponding to the amount of recording material of the texture reproduction device 209 and the recording method of the texture reproduction device 209 It is converted into a recording method signal (pass number signal P) shown. The processing configuration after the signal conversion unit 1201 is the same as the processing configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  The conversion of the signal conversion unit 1201 is performed with reference to the texture reproduction table of the texture reproduction device 209 stored in the storage unit 203 or the like. FIG. 13 shows an example of the texture reproduction table. The texture reproduction table describes control signals CMYKABP corresponding to discrete texture signals RGBGlSp.

  The texture reproduction table is created using the texture signal acquisition unit 1102, the texture mapping unit 1103, and the signal conversion unit 1104 described in the first embodiment. That is, the texture signal acquisition unit 1102 converts the discrete texture signal RGBGlSp described in the texture reproduction table into a device-independent texture signal Labgs. Next, the texture mapping unit 1103 converts the texture signal Labgs into a texture signal L′ a′b′g ′s ′ corresponding to the texture reproducible by the texture reproduction device 209. Then, the signal conversion unit 1104 converts the texture signal L'a'b'g's' into the control signal CMYKABP of the texture reproduction device 209, stores the conversion result in the texture reproduction table in association with the corresponding texture signal RGBGlSp.

[Verification of texture reproduction table]
The signal generation unit 1110 of the third embodiment executes steps S102 to S107 of the texture reproduction procedure shown in FIG. 1 with reference to the texture reproduction table. Therefore, in order to obtain a reproduction 1109 that appropriately reproduces the texture of the object, it is premised that an appropriate texture reproduction table is created. Below, the verification method of whether a texture reproduction table is appropriate is demonstrated.

  A plurality of texture signals having the same specular gloss and different colors are prepared as texture signals RGBGlSp for verification. In addition, the color reproducible by the texture reproduction device 209 is set as the color of the texture signal. In addition, the specular glossiness is a specular glossiness that can not be reproduced by the texture reproduction device 209 when it is combined with a part of the set color, and the texture reproduction device 209 can be reproduced when it is combined with other colors. Set the specular glossiness.

  The conditions of the texture signal for verification will be described with reference to FIG. The example of FIG. 14 shows an example of combining five colors that can be reproduced by the texture reproduction device 209 with three levels of specular glossiness that can be reproduced by the texture reproduction device 209, and whether or not the specular glossiness can be reproduced in each combination. Is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 14, in the fifth color, any specular glossiness can not be reproduced, and the condition of the above-mentioned texture signal for verification is not satisfied. On the other hand, the first and second specular glosses can be reproduced in the first and second colors, and the second specular gloss can be reproduced in the third and fourth colors.

  On the other hand, in terms of specular gloss, the second specular gloss can be reproduced in combination with the first to fourth colors, and the third specular gloss can not be reproduced in any combination with any color. It is. Therefore, the combination satisfying the condition of the texture signal for verification is a combination of the first specular glossiness and the first to fourth colors.

  For each texture signal satisfying the condition of the texture signal for verification, patch data for forming a patch of a measurable size is prepared. Then, the patch data group is input to the texture reproduction system shown in FIG. 12, and the specular gloss of the patch is measured.

  If the texture reproduction table is properly set, color mapping is performed before gloss mapping, so patches of texture data that can not simultaneously reproduce both color and specular glossiness are mirror images indicated by the texture data. Glossiness is reproduced with different specular glossiness. For example, patches of texture data corresponding to the third and fourth colors shown in FIG. 14 are reproduced with specular glossiness different from the first specular glossiness.

  On the other hand, patches of texture data that can simultaneously reproduce both color and specular glossiness are reproduced with the specular glossiness indicated by the texture data. For example, patches of texture data corresponding to the first and second colors in FIG. 14 are reproduced with the first specular glossiness.

  That is, although the specular glossiness indicated by each texture data matches, the specular glossiness of the patch formed by the texture data does not match, and the specular glossiness of the patch varies. Therefore, if the standard deviation of the mirror glossiness of the patch is larger than the standard deviation (hereinafter referred to as the inherent deviation) of the specular glossiness inherent to the texture reproduction device 209 described later, it is determined that the texture reproduction table is properly set. can do. Conversely, if the standard deviation of the specular gloss of the patch is similar to the inherent deviation, it can be determined that the texture reproduction table is not properly set. For the inherent deviation, formation of patches having the same specular gloss as the texture signal for verification may be repeated by the texture reproducing device 209 a plurality of times, and the standard deviation of the specular gloss measured from the patches may be used.

  Assuming that a set of texture data having the same gloss signal and different color signals is a verification data group, the verification texture signal is a subset of the verification data group. It can be said that the signal conversion unit 1201 generates the following control signal in at least one of the subsets of the verification data group. That is, the signal conversion unit 1201 generates a control signal in which the standard deviation of the specular gloss of the reproduction 1109 when the texture data included in the subset is input is larger than the inherent deviation of the texture reproduction device 209. . In other words, the texture reproduction table uses the standard deviation of the specular gloss of the reproduction 1109 formed by the texture reproduction device 209 according to the output signal generated from the texture data included in the above subset as the intrinsic deviation of the material reproduction device 209. It has the characteristic of making it larger.

  As described above, with reference to the texture reproduction table describing the correspondence between the discrete texture signal RGBGlSp and the control signal CMYKABP of the texture reproduction device 209, a plurality of processes in the first embodiment are realized by one conversion process. be able to. In other words, the processing of the texture signal acquisition unit 1102, the color mapping unit 1111, the gloss reproduction range acquisition unit 1112, the gloss mapping unit 1113, and the signal conversion unit 1104 in the first embodiment is realized by one conversion process to achieve high speed texture. Reproduction processing becomes possible.

[Modification]
Although CIELAB has been described above as the color signal, the present invention is not limited to this, and arbitrary numerical expression and measurement conditions may be used. For example, CIE XYZ may be used, or reflectance data for each spectral wavelength may be used. The measurement condition of the texture data is not limited either, and the incident angle and the light receiving angle representing the positional relationship between the illumination and the light receiving sensor at the time of measurement may be set arbitrarily. Further, as in the case of an integrating sphere measuring device, conditions for integrating a plurality of light receiving angles may be used. In the case of a recording medium such as a film having high transparency, incident light may receive light after passing through the recording medium.

  The gloss signal corresponding to the specular gloss is not necessarily limited to the value measured under the conditions of the standard, but may be a value measured under other conditions or a function thereof. For example, the illumination direction of measurement may be 30 degrees, and the opening angles of illumination and light reception are not limited to the conditions of the standard. Further, the signal corresponding to the specular glossiness may be a signal including not only brightness information but also color information. For a signal including color information, for example, the CIELAB value calculated by the method defined in Non-Patent Document 1 can be used by measuring the amount of specularly reflected light for each wavelength. In this case, the conversion of the signal corresponding to the specular gloss in the gloss mapping is a conversion in the three-dimensional color space. As the conversion method, known color mapping methods can be used as in the conversion of color signals.

  The gloss signal corresponding to the image clarity is not necessarily limited to the value measured under the conditions of the standard, but may be a value measured under other conditions or a function thereof. For example, in the vicinity of the regular reflection direction, the angle φ at which the direction in which the amount of reflected light is half of the regular reflection light makes with the regular reflection direction may be measured, and the inverse function of the angle may be used.

  A typical variable reflection light characteristic is shown in FIG. In FIG. 15, a curve 1501 indicates the amount of light reflected from the point A of the sample 1502. The direction of the angle θ at which the amount of reflected light is large is the regular reflection direction with respect to the illumination, and the length of the line segment AB indicates the amount of reflected light in the regular reflection direction. The point C is a point at which the length of the line segment AC is half the length of the line segment AB, and the angle between the line segment AB and the line segment AC is an angle φ. The sample having high image clarity has a small light diffusion near the regular reflection direction, and the angle φ shows a small value. Conversely, the angle φ of the sample with low image clarity exhibits a large value.

  Furthermore, as a gloss signal corresponding to image clarity, it is possible to use a measurement value of surface unevenness or its function. An object having a smooth surface with small surface unevenness has high image clarity, and an object with large surface unevenness has low image clarity.

  Furthermore, the gloss signal may include the “maximum reflection direction” which is an element related to the direction in which the amount of reflected light is maximum. Depending on the object, the maximum reflection direction may change depending on the area. In this case, in addition to the specular glossiness and the image clarity, information on the maximum reflection direction is required as information held by each region in order to obtain a reproduction that matches the appearance. As this information, for example, a signal corresponding to the angle θ shown in FIG. 15 or a signal corresponding to the difference between the angle θ and the reference angle can be used.

  When the maximum reflection direction is included in the gloss signal, information on the amount of reflected light in the direction in which the reflected light is maximized may be used as the gloss signal corresponding to the specular gloss. In other words, as a gloss signal corresponding to the specular gloss, a gloss signal corresponding to a direction different depending on the area may be used. Similarly, as a gloss signal corresponding to image clarity, information on the angle between the direction in which the amount of reflected light is half the maximum amount of reflected light in the vicinity of the maximum reflection direction and the maximum reflection direction may be used. The maximum reflection direction can be reproduced by controlling the surface unevenness, and the surface unevenness can be formed by using, for example, a UV inkjet printer or a 3D printer.

  Also, the halftoning method is not limited, and any known tone conversion method can be applied. The signal after gradation conversion may be a signal of three or more values. Although the method of using the pass mask is described as the pass decomposing processing, the method of pass decomposing processing is not limited. For example, a known method of performing halftone processing for each pass may be used.

  Also, the designation of the texture mapping method is not limited to the entire image. For example, different texture mapping methods may be specified or set according to the image area or object. As a method of extracting a specific image area or object, an automatic identification method based on user specification or an image feature can be applied.

  In the above, the serial type inkjet printer is exemplified as the texture reproducing device, but a full line type inkjet printer, an electrophotographic printer, a sublimation printer, silk printing, or the like can also be used as the texture reproducing device. Also, a UV printer that forms a surface shape or a 3D printer that forms a three-dimensional shape may be used as the texture reproduction device. Also, the texture reproduction process may be applied to an image display apparatus such as a display or a projector as well as the printer.

  Further, although the example in which six types of recording materials of the texture reproduction apparatus are CMYKAB has been described above, for example, recording materials of red, white, and gold may be used, and three or more types of gloss adjustment materials are also used. You may Further, in the texture reproducing apparatus other than the ink jet printer, a toner, a film or the like may be used as the recording material. In addition, a head cartridge that discharges ink may be configured to be able to separately eject droplets of a plurality of sizes.

  As the recording medium, a medium other than paper such as glossy paper or plain paper may be used. For example, a material such as cloth or film may be used, and the surface may have irregularities. In addition, when the reproduction is not a sheet like a three-dimensional object, a mechanism corresponding to the conveyance of the recording medium may be provided in the texture reproduction device.

  Further, it is not essential to perform the texture reproduction process on the entire area of the image represented by the texture data. The present invention also includes the case where the texture reproduction process is not applied to a part of the area or the case where the texture reproduction process is applied to only a part of the area. For example, a partial region of the image represented by the texture data may be processed so as to be reproduced using a specific color material without performing the texture reproduction processing.

[Other embodiments]
The present invention supplies a program that implements one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program. Processing is also feasible. It can also be implemented by a circuit (eg, an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

  1101 ... data input unit, 1111 ... color mapping unit, 1112 ... gloss reproduction range acquiring unit, 1113 ... gloss mapping unit, 1110 ... signal generation unit

Claims (14)

An image processing apparatus for performing processing for reproducing the texture of an object on a recording medium, comprising:
Input means for inputting color information and gloss information of an object to be reproduced;
Color mapping means for mapping the color information to a color reproduction range of the texture reproduction device;
A determination unit configured to determine a gloss reproduction range in which the texture reproduction device can reproduce the gloss for each area of the recording medium based on the color information after the mapping;
An output unit that outputs a signal indicating an amount of gloss adjustment agent to be recorded on the recording medium based on the gloss information and the gloss reproduction range;
An image processing apparatus comprising:   The determining means acquires the color information after the mapping for each area of the recording medium, and determines the gloss reproduction range for each area of the recording medium based on the acquired color information. An image processing apparatus according to claim 1.   3. The image according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs a signal indicating an amount of a plurality of color materials to be recorded on the recording medium based on the color information after the mapping. Processing unit. Halftone processing means for performing halftone processing on the signal indicating the amount of the gloss adjustment agent and the signal indicating the amount of the color material;
Generation means for generating a signal indicating the dot arrangement of the gloss adjustment agent and the color material based on the signal after the halftone process;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:   The generation means generates a signal indicating dot arrangement for each recording pass of the gloss adjusting agent and the color material by performing pass separation processing on the signal after the halftone processing. The image processing apparatus described in item 4.   The texture reproducing apparatus repeats main scanning for recording the dots of the gloss adjusting agent and the coloring material in a range from one time to a predetermined number of times in a unit recording area based on the signal indicating the dot arrangement for each recording pass. An image processing apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that.   7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the unit recording area corresponds to an area that can be recorded by the texture reproducing apparatus in one main scan.   The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the texture reproduction apparatus includes a plurality of color materials and a plurality of gloss adjustment materials.   The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising storage means for storing at least information indicating a texture reproduction range, and a device characteristic table. Calculating means for calculating a difference between the color information before mapping and the color information after mapping by the color mapping means;
A correction unit configured to correct the gloss information based on the difference;
The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising: The calculation means calculates, as the difference, a lightness difference between color information before mapping by the color mapping means and color information after mapping.
11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the correction unit corrects the specular glossiness indicated by the gloss information based on the lightness difference. The calculation means calculates, as the difference, a saturation difference between color information before mapping by the color mapping means and color information after mapping.
11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the correction unit corrects the specular glossiness indicated by the gloss information based on the chroma difference. An image processing method for performing processing for reproducing the texture of an object on a recording medium, comprising:
Input the color information and gloss information of the object to be reproduced,
Mapping the color information to the color reproduction range of the texture reproduction device;
Based on the color information after the mapping, the texture reproduction device determines a gloss reproduction range in which the gloss can be reproduced for each area of the recording medium,
An image processing method comprising: outputting a signal indicating an amount of gloss adjustment agent to be recorded on the recording medium based on the gloss information and the gloss reproduction range.   The program for functioning a computer as each means of the image processing apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-12.

Images