Image processing device, image recording system, image processing method and computer-readable medium

An image recording system comprising:

• an image recording device that records an image at a recording medium while moving a recording unit, which is provided with a plurality of recording portions arrayed in a first direction, relative to the recording medium in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction;
• and
• an image processing device, the image processing device comprising:
• a memory that stores conversion characteristic information corresponding to each of the recording portions of the image recording device and expressing conversion characteristics for converting image data in units of one pixel;
• a first processing unit that performs a conversion processing procedure along the first direction, continuously converting respective sets of pixel data, each of the sets of pixel data being for recording a plurality of pixels aligned in the second direction and to be recorded by a different one of the recording portions, using conversion characteristic information stored in the memory corresponding to the respective recording portions;
• a second processing unit that performs an image processing procedure in units of a plurality of pixels of the image data that has been processed at the first processing unit, the image data being aligned in the order of processing at the first processing unit;
• and
• an output unit that outputs the image data that has been processed at the second processing unit to the image recording device as aligned in the first direction.

An image processing method, comprising:

• storing conversion characteristic information corresponding to respective recording portions of an image recording device that records an image at a recording medium while moving a recording unit, which is provided with a plurality of the recording portions arrayed in a first direction, relative to the recording medium in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, the conversion characteristic information expressing conversion characteristics for converting image data in units of one pixel;
• performing conversion processing (first processing) along the first direction by continuously converting respective sets of pixel data, each of the sets of pixel data being for recording a plurality of pixels aligned in the second direction and to be recorded by a different one of the recording portions, using conversion characteristic information stored in the memory corresponding to the respective recording portions;
• performing image processing (second processing) in units of a plurality of pixels of image data that has been processed in the first processing, the image data being aligned in the order of processing of the first processing;
• and
• outputting the image data that has been processed in the second processing to the image recording device as aligned in the first direction.

A computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for image processing, the computer comprising a memory that stores conversion characteristic information corresponding to respective recording portions of an image recording device that records an image at a recording medium while moving a recording unit, which is provided with a plurality of the recording portions arrayed in a first direction, relative to the recording medium in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, the conversion characteristic information expressing conversion characteristics for converting image data in units of one pixel and the image processing comprising:

• performing conversion processing (first processing) along the first direction, continuously converting respective sets of pixel data, each of the sets of pixel data being for recording a plurality of pixels aligned in the second direction and to be recorded by a different one of the recording portions, using conversion characteristic information stored in the memory corresponding to the respective recording portions;
• performing image processing (second processing) in units of several pixels of image data that has been processed in the first processing, the image data being aligned in the order of processing of the first processing;
• and
• outputting the image data that has been processed in the second processing to the image recording device as aligned in the first direction.