IP Library Granted Patent US 7,370,937
Granted Patent B2
US 7,370,937 · App. 11/175,819 · Granted May 13, 2008

Color image recording apparatus

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,370,937
App. No.
11/175,819
Granted
May 13, 2008
Kind
B2
Abstract

Select a recording element corresponding to a predetermined number of dots for each color forming the same pixel from each color recording head, calculate a shift amount of each color image data based on the respective relative positions of recording element of each color recording head forming the selected same pixel and shift image data of each applicable color based on the calculation result. In the event, select each color dot where a distribution range of different color dot positions of a predetermined number of dots for each color becomes a minimum, from among a plurality of dots formed by a plurality of recording elements of the recording head for each color, and select a recording element of each color recording head forming the selected dot.

Claims (28)

1. A color image recording apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of recording heads respectively corresponding to a plurality of ink colors for recording an image;

a recording element selection unit for selecting a recording element from each of the plurality of recording heads based on information about respective relative positions of the plurality of recording heads, wherein each selected recording element forms a dot or a plurality of dots of a corresponding color constituting a predetermined pixel;

a shift amount calculation unit for calculating an amount of shift in color image data for each recording head based on relative positions of the corresponding recording elements which form a same pixel and which have been selected by the recording element selection process; and

a shift unit for shifting the color image data for each recording head by the calculated shift amount,

wherein the recording element selection unit selects the dot or the plurality of dots of each color so that a difference between minimum and maximum values of coordinates of the dot or the plurality of dots of each color, on a coordinate axis that is parallel to a recording element row, becomes a minimum from among the plurality of dots respectively formed by the recording elements of the respective recording heads, and selects the recording element in the respective recording heads forming the selected dots as the recording elements constituting the same pixel.

2. A color image recording apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of color recording heads respectively corresponding to a plurality of ink colors for recording an image; and

a control unit for selecting respective nozzles of the plurality of color recording heads;

wherein,

when defining a discretionary one recorded dot in a first color as “a”,

two recorded dots in a second color sandwiching the recorded dot “a” and adjacent thereto are defined as b 1 and b 2 ,

two recorded dots in a third color sandwiching the recorded dot “a” and adjacent thereto are defined as c 1 and c 2 ,

two recorded dots in a fourth color sandwiching the recorded dot “a” and adjacent thereto are defined as d 1 and d 2 , and

either one selected from the recorded dot b 1 and the recorded dot b 2 is defined as b, either one selected from the recorded dot c 1 and the recorded dot c 2 is defined as c, and either one selected from the recorded dot d 1 and the recorded dot d 2 is defined as d;

the control unit selects nozzles A, B, C and D of the respective color recording heads forming respective recorded dots so that a difference between minimum and maximum values of coordinates of the respective recorded dots, a, b, c and d, on a coordinate axis that is parallel to a recording element row, becomes a minimum, and image data for a same pixel is inputted into each of the selected nozzles, A, B, C and D.

3. A color image recording method for a color image recording apparatus including a plurality of recording heads respectively corresponding to a plurality of ink colors for recording an image, the color image recording method comprising:

a recording element selection process for selecting a recording element from each of the plurality of recording heads based on information about respective relative positions of the plurality of recording heads, wherein each selected recording element forms a dot or a plurality of dots of a corresponding color constituting a predetermined pixel;

a shift amount calculation process for calculating an amount of shift in color image data for each recording head based on relative positions of the corresponding recording elements which form a same pixel and which have been selected by the recording element selection process; and

a shift process for shifting the color image data for each recording head by the calculated shift amount,

wherein the recording element selection process selects the dot or the plurality of dots of each color so that a difference between minimum and maximum values of coordinates of the dot or the plurality of dots of each color, on a coordinate axis that is parallel to a recording element row, becomes a minimum from among the plurality of dots respectively formed by the recording elements of the respective recording heads, and selects the recording element in the respective recording heads forming the selected dots as the recording elements constituting the same pixel.

4. A color image recording method, comprising:

when defining a discretionary one recorded dot in a first color as “a”,

two recorded dots in a second color sandwiching the recorded dot “a” and adjacent thereto are defined as b 1 and b 2 ,

two recorded dots in a third color sandwiching the recorded dot “a” and adjacent thereto are defined as c 1 and c 2 ,

two recorded dots in a fourth color sandwiching the recorded dot “a” and adjacent thereto are defined as d 1 and d 2 , and

either one selected from the recorded dot b 1 and the recorded dot b 2 is defined as b, either one selected from the recorded dot c 1 and the recorded dot c 2 is defined as c, and either one selected from the recorded dot d 1 and the recorded dot d 2 is defined as d;

selecting nozzles A, B, C and D of respective color recording heads which form respective recorded dots so that a difference between minimum and maximum values of coordinates of the respective recorded dots, a, b, c and d, on a coordinate axis that is parallel to a recording element row, becomes a minimum, and image data for a same pixel is inputted into each of the selected nozzles, A, B, C and D.

Assignments (4)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 7, 2011
From: ORTEK CORPORATION
To: RISO KAGAKU CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 027343/0269 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 27, 2011
From: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
To: RISO KAGAKU CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 026512/0638 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 31, 2011
From: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
To: ORTEK CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 026110/0639 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 6, 2005
From: EBIHARA, TOSHIYUKI
To: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 016766/0564 →