Image processing apparatus and image processing method

An image processing apparatus to process input image data for pixel area of a print medium so that the input image data can be printed on the associated pixel area by a plurality of relative movements between a printing unit and the print medium, the printing unit being adapted to print a first dots and a second dots, the second dots having the same color as the first dots and smaller size than the first dots, the image processing apparatus comprising:

• a generating unit configured to generate a first multivalue data corresponding to the first dots and a second multivalue data corresponding to the second dots on the basis of the input image data;
• a conversion unit configured to convert each of the first and second multivalue data into plurality of pieces multivalue data corresponding to the plurality of relative movements;
• and
• a quantization unit configured to quantize each of the plurality of pieces of multivalue data corresponding to the first dots and the second dots respectively;
• wherein the plurality of pieces of multivalue data corresponding to the plurality of relative movements for each of the first dots and the second dots, include a multivalue data for a first scan and a multivalue data for a second scan;
• wherein the quantization unit quantizes, for each of the first dots and the second dots, the multivalue data for the second scan based on the multivalue data for the first scan and also the multivalue data for the first scan based on the multivalue data for the second scan so that the number of combination of the multivalue data corresponding to the first scan and the multivalue data corresponding to the second scan for the pixel area, is different between the first dot and the second dot.

An image processing apparatus to process input image data for pixel area of a print medium so that the input image data can be printed on the associated pixel area by a plurality of relative movements between a printing unit and the print medium, the printing unit being adapted to print a first dots and a second dots, the second dots having the same color as the first dots and smaller size than the first dots, the image processing apparatus comprising:

• a generating unit configured to generate a first multivalue data corresponding to the first dots and a second multivalue data corresponding to the second dots on the basis of the input image data;
• a conversion unit configured to convert each of the first and second multivalue data into plurality of pieces multivalue data corresponding to the plurality of relative movements;
• and
• a quantization unit configured to quantize each of the plurality of pieces of multivalue data corresponding to the first dots and the second dots respectively;
• wherein the quantization unit includes:
• (i) a unit which generates, for each of the first dots and the second dots, a plurality of pieces of L-value quantized data corresponding to the plurality of relative movements by an L-value (L is an integer equal to or greater than 3) quantization operation;
• and
• (ii) a unit which converts, for each of the first dots and the second dots, each of the plurality of pieces of L-value quantized data through dot patterns into binary data wherein the dot pattern is different between the first dots and the second dots.

An image processing method to process input image data for pixel area of a print medium so that the input image data can be printed on the associated pixel area by a plurality of relative movements between a printing unit and the print medium, the printing unit being adapted to print a first dots and a second dots, the second dots having the same color as the first dots and smaller size than the first dots, the image processing apparatus comprising:

• a generating step to generate a first multivalue data corresponding to the first dots and a second multivalue data corresponding to the second dots on the basis of the input image data;
• a conversion step to convert each of the first and second multivalue data into plurality of pieces multivalue data corresponding to the plurality of relative movements;
• and
• a quantization step to quantize each of the plurality of pieces of multivalue data corresponding to the first dots and the second dots respectively;
• wherein the conversion step converts into plurality of pieces of multivalue data corresponding to the plurality of relative movements for each of the first dots and the second dots so that a bias of a distribution ratio among the plurality of pieces of multivalue data, that have been converted from each of the first multivalue data and the second multivalue data, is differentiated between the first dots and the second dots.

An image processing method to process input image data for pixel area of a print medium so that the input image data can be printed on the associated pixel area by a plurality of relative movements between a printing unit and the print medium, the printing unit being adapted to print a first dots and a second dots, the second dots having the same color as the first dots and smaller size than the first dots, the image processing apparatus comprising:

• a generating step to generate a first multivalue data corresponding to the first dots and a second multivalue data corresponding to the second dots on the basis of the input image data;
• a conversion step to convert each of the first and second multivalue data into plurality of pieces multivalue data corresponding to the plurality of relative movements;
• and
• a quantization step to quantize each of the plurality of pieces of multivalue data corresponding to the first dots and the second dots respectively;
• wherein the plurality of pieces of multivalue data corresponding to the plurality of relative movements for each of the first dots and the second dots, include a multivalue data for a first scan and a multivalue data for a second scan,
• wherein the quantization step quantizes, for each of the first dots and the second dots, the multivalue data for the second scan based on the multivalue data for the first scan and also the multivalue data for the first scan based on the multivalue data for the second scan so that the number of combination of the multivalue data corresponding to the first scan and the multivalue data corresponding to the second scan for the pixel area, is different between the first dot and the second dot.