Minolta Company, Ltd.

Masaaki Kuriyama

Yoshihiro Hara

Yoko Fujiwara

Takashi Honda

Nobuo Hashimoto

An image printer system that prints out images using image data taken by a digital camera and recorded in a recording medium and that saves the image data in the recording medium in another recording medium. In this system, parameters are set for the printing operation and for the saving operation before they are begun, and the two operations are performed simultaneously or in one sequence. The image data may be corrected for the printing, but the image data that is saved is the original image data.

Image printer system with print and save functions

An image reading apparatus reads every picture element of an original image, converts the as-obtained analog signals of the respective picture elements into image data which are multilevel digital signals, image-processes the converted image data, and outputs binary image data corresponding to the respective picture elements. The original image is divided into a plurality of picture element blocks which are repeated every one or plural basic units with a basic unit of one or plural picture elements being continuous in a main scanning direction. The image data of the divisional picture element blocks are subjected to image processing such as trimming, masking, simple binarization processing and pseudo half tone processing in a parallel manner. Thereafter the image data of the picture element blocks are combined with each other so that image data corresponding to the original image are outputted.

Image processing apparatus for parallel image processing and method therefor

This invention concerns an image processing device for adjusting the density of an image and an image reading device incorporating the image processing device and aims to enhance the repeatability of pseudo-gradient without reference to density distribution of the image. The image processing device which fulfills the purpose of compensating the gradient of image data consisting of multivalue digital signals comprises means ME1 to ME3 for storing a plurality of gradient compensation data T1 to T3 having mutually different contents of compensation, means for detecting a contrast of an image on the basis of a group of image data conforming to one image, and means for switching the contents of compensation for the image data by selecting one of the three gradient compensation data T1 to T3 in conformity with the contrast.

Growing community of inventors

Sakai, Japan

Masaaki Kuriyama