JPS59171263A - Picture processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To select optionally the reproduced color of a picture data corrected in color by varying the quantization rate among B, G, R in the masking processing to attain optional color conversion. CONSTITUTION:Output signals VB, VG, VR of image sensors 25-27 such as CCD reading a picture data separated into B, G, R are transmitted to a picture processing section 200 by a signal from a main body system controller 100. A masking processing circuit 16 processes the operation of the signals VB, VG and VR according to other signal and applies color correction. In this case, the signal level ratio among the B, G, R is changed. Then, the polarity of the output of each masking circuit 16 of B, G, R is inverted respectively by OR gates 10-12 to modulate a laser beam for the forming of picture on a photosensitive drum 1 in response to the B, G, R picture signals at a laser beam generating device 73-1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that digitally processes color images, and more particularly to an image processing apparatus that allows selection of reproduced colors.

PRIOR ART Traditionally, for the purpose of obtaining a color reproduction copy of an original image,
Full-color copying devices based on electrophotography have been proposed.

Some of these devices are capable of full-color reproduction or monochrome reproduction, but it has been difficult to arbitrarily perform color conversion of the original image to obtain good color reproduction.

Purpose The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image processing device capable of arbitrarily converting colors.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus that can arbitrarily select reproduction colors of color-corrected image data.

Example Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a color copying apparatus to which the present invention is applicable. The document whose document table is placed on the ram 70 is illuminated by an illumination lamp 71 and read by a document reading section 72 that moves together with the illumination lamp 71. This manuscript reading section 7
In No. 2, for example, a dichroic mirror is used, a CCD licensor is provided for each color (B, G, and R), and the image is read for each line of the document by separating the colors between the three colors. The read image data is input to the recording section 73 after being subjected to masking processing, as will be described later. The recording unit 73 is composed of a semiconductor laser and a scanner for scanning a light spot, and a beam emitted from the semiconductor laser is modulated according to the image data, and the beam is irradiated onto the photoreceptor 1 by the scanner.

The surface of the photoconductor on the photoconductor drum 1 is cleaned in advance with a blade cleaner 31, and is cleaned with a pre-exposure lamp 33 and a pre-static eliminator 63.
electrostatically cleaned.

The photoreceptor is then uniformly charged by a primary charger 37 to bring the surface of the photoreceptor to a uniform potential. The charged surface of the photoreceptor is exposed to a beam emitted from the recording section 73, and the charge is removed by the secondary charger 19. Then, the entire surface is uniformly exposed by the full-surface exposure lamp 39, and the surface of the photoreceptor is exposed to light. After the high contrast electrostatic latent image is formed, the developer 4
1.

The developing devices 41 include a yellow developing device 41Y and a magenta developing device 4.
Consists of 1M and cyan developer 41C, each color developer (
Toner) is supplied and development is performed.

On the other hand, the transfer paper 51 housed in the cassette is sent to a transfer section 55 by a delivery roller 53. In the transfer section 55, the gripper 57 first grips the leading edge of the transfer paper 51, and the developed image on the surface of the photoconductor of the photoconductor drum 1 is transferred to the transfer paper 51 by corona discharge from the back side of the transfer paper by the transfer corona discharger 59. Ru.

In the case of the single color mode, the transfer paper 51 is separated from the transfer section 55 by the operation of the separation claw 63 immediately after the separation static eliminator 61 removes the electricity.

However, in the case of multicolor mode, the gripper 57 of the transfer section 55 is not released and the separation claw 63 does not operate to hold the transfer paper 51 until the transfer of the two to three color developed images to be reproduced is completed. I left it as is.

For example, in the case of full color mode, the document is scanned three times, and for each scan, one of the developing devices 41Y, 41M, and 41C is selected, and the developed image is transferred onto transfer paper.

When the transfer is completed, the transfer paper 51 is separated from the transfer section 55 by the operation of the separating claw 63, and is sent to the heating roller fixing device 67 by the conveyor belt 65, where the image is fixed.

The transfer paper 51 after the fixing is discharged onto the tray 69.

After the transfer is completed, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is cleaned by the blade cleaner 31 as described above, and the next copying cycle begins.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration for performing image processing according to the present invention. Reference numerals 25 to 27 are image sensors such as CCDs that read image data separated into B, G, and R, respectively, in the document reading device 72, and output signals VB, VG, and VR thereof are sent to the main body system controller 100.
The image processing unit 200 receives the signal SCANSTART from
sent to. This signal is output in synchronization with the start of document scanning by the document reading device 72. 16 is each signal VB, VG,
This is a masking processing circuit that performs color correction by performing arithmetic processing on VR according to other signals.

That is, the masking processing circuit 16 is for correcting the turbidity of the reproduced color image due to the spectral transmittance of the filter and the spectral reflectance of the toner, and each color component input to the masking processing circuit 16 is set as VBi, VGi, and VRi. , let the output color components be VBO, VGO, and VRO, then convert as follows. This coefficient (ai, bi, ci) (i=
By appropriately setting 1, 2, and 3), the above-mentioned turbidity can be corrected, and a developed image faithful to the original image can be formed. In this embodiment, the coefficients ai, bi, and ci are configured to be adjustable by a control board 17 as shown in FIG. 3-1. That is, by switching the switches 17-1 to 17-9 in FIG. 3-1, the coefficient ai
, bi, and ci to adjust the signal level ratio between B, G, and R. Normally, if the signal level ratio between each B, G, and R can be varied within a preset appropriate level, it is possible to form an image faithful to the original, but in this embodiment, this mutual level ratio is varied from 0 to 1. It was designed so that it was possible to change the color between the two, and deliberately disrupted the color balance. As a result, the outputs from the B, G, and R masking circuits 16 to 18, which are free to convert colors together with the arbitrary selection of the developer described later, are then transferred to Exclusi.
very-OR gates 10-12.

Here, the polarity of the image signals can be independently inverted by switches 13 to 15. Normally, the gate output outputs each image signal to the laser beam generator 7 without inversion.
3-1, and a positive image is formed as a developed image on the photosensitive drum 1. However, if it is necessary to make a positive copy of a negative original such as a negative color film, all three gate outputs are inverted and the image signal level is Positive copying is possible by reversing the . In the laser beam generator 73-1, laser beams are modulated in order to form images on the photosensitive drum 1 according to each of the B, G, and R image signals. The laser beam generator 73-1 also receives a signal LAS from the main system controller 100 to allow the laser generator 73-1 to output laser light.
ERON is input, and laser output is performed based on this signal. Although not shown in the image processing unit 200, in the actual image processing unit, the image signals sent from each masking circuit are converted into fine patterns of appropriate density signals in order to modulate the laser beam and reproduce the image shading. It is being said. The image-modulated laser beam is sent to a polygon mirror 4 for beam scanning.
The photosensitive drum 1 is main-scanned, and the photosensitive drum 1 is exposed for each color according to an image signal to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 1. The electrostatic latent images formed for each color on the photosensitive drum 1 are developed by the developing units 41Y, 41M, and 41C, respectively, according to the sequence of the main body system controller 100. The electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 1 is sequentially multi-transferred as Y, M, and C onto a transfer paper wound on a transfer drum 28, thereby forming a full-color image. In this case, in the normal full color mode, the main system controller 100 drives the Y developer (41Y) for the Blue image signal, and the M developer (41M) for the Green image signal.
, a Cyan developer (41C) for the Red image signal, and this is achieved by turning on switches S6, S8, and S10 on the color converter switchboard 9 to output the developer drive output from the main system controller. .

In other words, if an image corresponding to Blue is being played,
Signal D output from main system controller 100
When the developing device 41Y is selected and driven by Y via the switch S6 and images corresponding to Green and Red are being reproduced, the developing device 41Y is selected and driven by the signal DM via the switch S8, and the developing device 41Y is selected and driven by the signal DC. The developing device 41C is selected and driven through S10. Note that the signal DRA output from the main system controller 100
MDF (VE) is a signal for driving the photosensitive drum 1.

Furthermore, since the combination of image signals and developing devices for each color can be changed by arbitrarily changing the combination of switches 84 to S11 on the color converter board 9, the color of the original image and the color of the reproduced image can be changed arbitrarily. It is possible to easily perform color conversion.

The configuration of the color converter board 9 is shown in FIG. 3-2. 97 to 99 are switches for inverting the B, G, and R signals, and are interlocked with switches 13 to 15 in FIG. 2, respectively. Further, 90 is a group of keys for selecting a combination of a color signal and a developing device.

Therefore, the operator can arbitrarily select the knobs, keys, etc. on the board as shown in Figures 3-1 and 3-2.
Desired chromaticity conversion becomes possible.

In this way, in this embodiment, the quantization ratio between B, G, and R in the masking process is variable;
Since it is possible to select normal rotation or inversion of the R signal, and to select a combination of B, G, R signals and a developing device, various color conversions are possible.

In this embodiment, the masking coefficient adjustment, signal inversion, and developer selection for these color conversions are manually performed. It is also possible to perform these adjustments, selections, etc. by calculating which developer is to be operated at which level ratio.

In this embodiment, the image is reproduced using a laser beam, but it may be reproduced using an inkjet method, a thermal transfer method, or the like.

Further, the B, G, and R signals may be transmitted from the memory of the host computer or the like.

Furthermore, the display is not limited to being printed, and may be displayed on a CRT or the like.

In addition, the image processing unit further performs shading correction, γ correction, V
CR processing etc. may be performed.

Effects As described above, according to the present invention, desired color conversion can be performed with a simple configuration.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a color copying apparatus to which the present invention can be applied;
Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration for image processing, Figure 3-1 is a plan view of the control board, and Figure 3-1 is a plan view of the control board.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the color converter board. In the figure, 1 is a photosensitive drum, 9 is a color converter board, 16 is a masking circuit, 17 is a control board, 25 to 27 are image sensors, 72 is a document reading unit,
73 is an image recording section, 100 is a main body system controller, and 200 is an image processing section.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A masking processing means for color correcting each input color data according to other color data, and a color selection means for selecting a reproduced color of image data output from the masking processing means. Image processing device. (2) The color selection means is capable of arbitrarily selecting a developing means for developing an electrostatic latent image formed according to image data output from the masking processing means. The image processing device according to item 1. (3) The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the color selection means includes an inversion means for inverting the image data output from the masking processing means. (4) The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that data related to arithmetic processing by the masking processing means is made variable.