Data processing apparatus, data processing method, printing apparatus, printing method, and storage medium

1 . A data processing apparatus which processes data for controlling a plurality of heat-generating elements configured to apply heating energies to a print medium having a plurality of laminated color development layers that develop colors different from each other upon receipt of different heating energies, respectively, the heat-generating elements generating the heating energies upon receipt of a voltage, the data processing apparatus comprising:

an obtaining unit configured to obtain a heat-generating characteristic of each of the plurality of heat-generating elements;

a generating unit configured to generate print data; and

a deriving unit configured to derive a correction value for correcting the print data based on a color development heating characteristic of each of the plurality of color development layers and the heat-generating characteristic of each heat-generating element, the print data causing each heat-generating element to generate the heating energy based on image data corresponding to a pixel,

wherein the generating unit includes a correcting unit configured to generate a second heating signal by correcting a first heating signal based on the correction value, and to output the second heating signal as the print data, the first heating signal being defined in advance based on the color development heating characteristic of each of the plurality of color development layers,

wherein each of the first heating signal and the second heating signal includes a plurality of voltage pulses to apply the voltage to the heat-generating elements, and

wherein the correcting unit generates the second heating signal by correcting at least one of the number of pulses and a pulse interval of the voltage pulses included in the first heating signal in accordance with the heat-generating characteristic.

2 . The data processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the obtaining unit reads a density of a detection image of a single color formed on the print medium by the plurality of heat-generating elements, and obtains the heat-generating characteristic of each heat-generating element based on the read density.

3 . The data processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein, in the detection image, a color development region of a predetermined one of the color development layers is formed to be larger than a color development region of another one of the color development layers.

4 . The data processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heat-generating characteristic represents a heat amount of a heating energy generated by the heat-generating element on a predetermined print data.

5 . The data processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a pulse width and the number of pulses of the voltage pulses specify a heating temperature and a heating time for which the print medium is heated by the heat-generating elements.

6 . The data processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the correcting unit increases the number of pulses of the voltage pulses included in the second heating signal for a heat-generating element that generates a lower heating energy among the plurality of heat-generating elements.

7 . The data processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the correcting unit corrects the first heating signal by using a correction table in which a correction value for correcting at least one of the number of pulses and the pulse interval of the voltage pulses included in the first heating signal is defined for each gradation value of each of a plurality of colors corresponding to the color development layers.

8 . The data processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the print medium includes a first color development layer which develops yellow, a second color development layer which develops magenta, and a third color development layer which develops cyan.

9 . The data processing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein, in the print medium, the first color development layer, the second color development layer, and the third color development layer are sequentially laminated from a side on which the heating energies are applied by the heat-generating elements.

10 . A data processing apparatus which processes data for controlling a plurality of heat-generating elements configured to apply heating energies to a print medium having a plurality of laminated color development layers that develop colors different from each other upon receipt of different heating energies, respectively, the data processing apparatus comprising:

an obtaining unit configured to obtain a heat-generating characteristic of each of the plurality of heat-generating elements; and

a deriving unit configured to derive a correction value for correcting print data based on a color development heating characteristic of each of the plurality of color development layers and the heat-generating characteristic of each heat-generating element, the print data causing each heat-generating element to generate the heating energy based on image data corresponding to a pixel,

wherein the obtaining unit reads a density of a detection image of a single color formed on the print medium by the plurality of heat-generating elements, and obtains the heat-generating characteristic of each heat-generating element based on the read density,

wherein the detection image includes a preheating region printed for stabilizing temperatures of the heat-generating elements, and an analysis region for detecting the heat-generating characteristics of the heat-generating elements, and

wherein the obtaining unit reads a density of the analysis region, analyzes the read density for each of regions corresponding respectively to the plurality of heat-generating elements, and determines the respective heat-generating characteristics of the plurality of heat-generating elements.

11 . A data processing apparatus which processes data for controlling a plurality of heat-generating elements configured to apply heating energies to a print medium having a plurality of laminated color development layers that develop colors different from each other upon receipt of different heating energies, respectively, the data processing apparatus comprising:

an obtaining unit configured to obtain a heat-generating characteristic of each of the plurality of heat-generating elements; and

a deriving unit configured to derive a correction value for correcting print data based on a color development heating characteristic of each of the plurality of color development layers and the heat-generating characteristic of each heat-generating element, the print data causing each heat-generating element to generate the heating energy based on image data corresponding to a pixel,

wherein the obtaining unit reads a density of a detection image of a single color formed on the print medium by the plurality of heat-generating elements, and obtains the heat-generating characteristic of each heat-generating element based on the read density,

wherein the plurality of heat-generating elements are arrayed along a first direction, and

wherein the detection image includes a first region printed by a plurality of first heat-generating elements which are not adjacent in the first direction among the plurality of heat-generating elements, and a second region formed by a plurality of second heat-generating elements which are adjacent to the first heat-generating elements in the first direction.

12 . A data processing apparatus which processes data for controlling a plurality of heat-generating elements configured to apply heating energies to a print medium having a plurality of laminated color development layers which develop colors different from each other upon receipt of different heating energies, respectively, the data processing apparatus comprising:

an obtaining unit configured to obtain a heat-generating characteristic of each of the plurality of heat-generating elements; and

a deriving unit configured to derive a correction value for correcting print data based on a color development heating characteristic of each of the plurality of color development layers and the heat-generating characteristic of each heat-generating element, the print data causing each heat-generating element to generate the heating energy based on image data corresponding to a pixel,

wherein the obtaining unit reads a density of a detection image of a single color formed on the print medium by the plurality of heat-generating elements, and obtains the heat-generating characteristic of each heat-generating element based on the read density, and

wherein the detection image includes, at least:

a third region which is printed when a heating time by the heat-generating elements is shorter than a predetermined time and a heating temperature by the heat-generating elements is equal to or more than a predetermined temperature; and

a fourth region which is printed when the heating time by the heat-generating elements is equal to or more than the predetermined time and the heating temperature by the heat-generating elements is less than the predetermined temperature, among the plurality of color development layers.

13 . A data processing method for processing data for controlling a plurality of heat-generating elements configured to apply heating energies to a print medium having a plurality of laminated color development layers that develop colors different from each other upon receipt of different heating energies, respectively, the heat-generating elements generating the heating energies upon receipt of a voltage, the data processing method comprising:

obtaining a heat-generating characteristic of each of the plurality of heat-generating elements;

generating print data; and

deriving a correction value for correcting the print data based on a color development heating characteristic of each color development layer and the heat-generating characteristic of each heat-generating element, the print data causing each heat-generating element to generate the heating energy based on image data corresponding to a pixel,

wherein the generating includes correcting a first heating signal based on the correction value to generate a second heating signal, and outputting the second heating signal as the print data, the first heating signal being defined in advance based on the color development heating characteristic of each of the plurality of color development layers,

wherein each of the first heating signal and the second heating signal includes a plurality of voltage pulses to apply voltage to the heat-generating elements, and

wherein, in the correcting, the second heating signal is generated by correcting at least one of the number of pulses and a pulse interval of the voltage pulses included in the first heating signal in accordance with the heat-generating characteristic.

14 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a data processing method, wherein the data processing method processes data for controlling a plurality of heat-generating elements configured to apply different heating energies to a print medium having a plurality of laminated color development layers that develop colors different from each other upon receipt of different heating energies, respectively, the heat-generating elements generating the heating energies upon receipt of a voltage, the data processing method comprising:

obtaining a heat-generating characteristic of each of the plurality of heat-generating elements; and

deriving a correction value for correcting print data based on a color development heating characteristic of each color development layer and the heat-generating characteristic of each heat-generating element, the print data causing each heat-generating element to generate the heating energy based on image data corresponding to a pixel, and

generating the print data,

wherein the generating includes correcting a first heating signal based on the correction value to generate a second heating signal, and outputting the second heating signal as the print data, the first heating signal being defined in advance based on the color development heating characteristic of each of the plurality of color development layers,

wherein each of the first heating signal and the second heating signal includes a plurality of voltage pulses to apply voltage to the heat-generating elements, and

wherein, in the correcting, the second heating signal is generated by correcting at least one of the number of pulses and a pulse interval of the voltage pulses included in the first heating signal in accordance with the heat-generating characteristic.