# US 2014/0192370 A1 · Image deformation processing device and image deformation processing method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0192370 A1 - Document ID: US20140192370A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/148,432 - Filed: 2014-01-06 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-10 - Assignees: Konica Minolta, Inc. - Applicants: Konica Minolta, Inc. - Inventors: Yuhei KURIGATA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140192370A1 ## CPC - G06K 15/18: {Conditioning data for presenting it to the physical printing elements (for data conditioning specific to a type of printer see subgroups G06K15/028 - G06K15/14; print job translation or parsing G06F3/1244)} - G06K 15/10: by matrix printers {(G06K15/028 takes precedence)} - H04N 1/3878: {Skew detection or correction} - H04N 1/3935: {with modification of image resolution, i.e. determining the values of picture elements at new relative positions} - H04N 1/40068: {Modification of image resolution, i.e. determining the values of picture elements at new relative positions (H04N1/3935 takes precedence)} - G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract Disclosed is an image deformation processing device including: a shift amount calculating unit configured to calculate the difference between the coordinate of the input image which is mapped to the position of the specified pixel by the deformation process and the coordinate of the specified pixel as a shift amount, for each specified pixel in the output image; and an output unit configured to obtain the threshold corresponding to the coordinate of the specified pixel in the second direction from the dispersion threshold table, to calculate a pixel shift amount by comparing the obtained threshold with a decimal component of the shift amount for the specified pixel and by rounding the decimal component of the shift amount, and to output the pixel in the input image, which has a coordinate shifted from the coordinate of the specified pixel by the pixel shift amount, as the specified pixel. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image deformation processing device for carrying out a deformation process for an input image having a dot matrix form in which pixels are arranged in a first direction and a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction, so as to deform the input image in the first direction to generate an output image having the dot matrix form, wherein a coordinate system in which a distance between two adjacent pixels is 1, is defined for each of the input image and the output image, the image deformation processing device comprising: a shift amount calculating unit configured to calculate a coordinate of the input image which is mapped to a position of a specified pixel by the deformation process, and to calculate a difference between the calculated coordinate and a coordinate of the specified pixel as a shift amount, for each specified pixel in the output image; a dispersion threshold table in which a threshold is stored for each coordinate in the second direction; and an output unit configured to obtain the threshold corresponding to the coordinate of the specified pixel in the second direction from the dispersion threshold table, to calculate a pixel shift amount by comparing the obtained threshold with a decimal component of the shift amount for the specified pixel and by rounding up or down the decimal component of the shift amount for the specified pixel, and to output the pixel in the input image, which has a coordinate shifted from the coordinate of the specified pixel by the pixel shift amount, as the specified pixel. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image deformation processing device of claim 1, wherein in case that the image deformation processing device carries out both a first deformation process and a second deformation process as the deformation process, the shift amount calculating unit calculates the difference between the coordinate of the input image which is mapped to the position of the specified pixel by the first deformation process and the coordinate of the specified pixel as a first shift amount, calculates the difference between the coordinate of the input image which is mapped to the position of the specified pixel by the second deformation process and the coordinate of the specified pixel as a second shift amount, and calculates the shift amount by summing the first shift amount and the second shift amount, for each specified pixel in the output image. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The image deformation processing device of claim 2, wherein the first deformation process is a variable magnification process and the second deformation process is a shift process. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The image deformation processing device of claim 1, wherein in case that a cumulative histogram of the thresholds registered in the dispersion threshold table is not linear, the image deformation processing device corrects the thresholds so as to linearize the cumulative histogram. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The image deformation processing device of claim 1, wherein in the dispersion threshold table, a threshold dispersion pattern in which the threshold is periodically changed according to a change in the coordinate in the second direction is registered, and the threshold dispersion pattern is determined by using specific frequency information in view of a visual property as a parameter. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The image deformation processing device of claim 1, wherein in the dispersion threshold table, a threshold dispersion pattern in which the threshold is periodically changed according to a change in the coordinate in the second direction is registered, and the threshold dispersion pattern is changed according to a resolution in the output image. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The image deformation processing device of claim 1, wherein in the dispersion threshold table, a threshold dispersion pattern in which the threshold is periodically changed according to a change in the coordinate in the second direction is registered, and the threshold dispersion pattern is changed according to a print property of a print apparatus for printing the output image. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The image deformation processing device of claim 1, wherein the image deformation processing device comprises a plurality of the dispersion threshold tables, and switches the dispersion threshold table to be referred when the threshold is obtained, according to an attribute of the specified pixel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The image deformation processing device of claim 8, wherein one of the dispersion threshold tables is the dispersion threshold table in which the threshold is constant regardless of the coordinate in the second direction. ### Claim 10 An image deformation processing method for carrying out a deformation process for an input image having a dot matrix form in which pixels are arranged in a first direction and a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction, so as to deform the input image in the first direction to generate an output image having the dot matrix form, wherein a coordinate system in which a distance between two adjacent pixels is 1, is defined for each of the input image and the output image, and a dispersion threshold table in which a threshold is stored for each coordinate in the second direction is provided, the image deformation processing method comprising: calculating a coordinate of the input image which is mapped to a position of a specified pixel by the deformation process, and calculating a difference between the calculated coordinate and a coordinate of the specified pixel as a shift amount, for each specified pixel in the output image; obtaining the threshold corresponding to the coordinate of the specified pixel in the second direction from the dispersion threshold table, calculating a pixel shift amount by comparing the obtained threshold with a decimal component of the shift amount for the specified pixel and by rounding up or down the decimal component of the shift amount for the specified pixel, and outputting the pixel in the input image, which has a coordinate shifted from the coordinate of the specified pixel by the pixel shift amount, as the specified pixel. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The image deformation processing method of claim 10, wherein in case that both a first deformation process and a second deformation process are carried out as the deformation process, the difference between the coordinate of the input image which is mapped to the position of the specified pixel by the first deformation process and the coordinate of the specified pixel is calculated as a first shift amount; the difference between the coordinate of the input image which is mapped to the position of the specified pixel by the second deformation process and the coordinate of the specified pixel is calculated as a second shift amount; and the shift amount is calculated by summing the first shift amount and the second shift amount, for each specified pixel in the output image. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The image deformation processing method of claim 11, wherein the first deformation process is a variable magnification process and the second deformation process is a shift process. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The image deformation processing method of claim 10, wherein in case that a cumulative histogram of the thresholds registered in the dispersion threshold table is not linear, the thresholds are corrected so as to linearize the cumulative histogram. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The image deformation processing method of claim 10, wherein in the dispersion threshold table, a threshold dispersion pattern in which the threshold is periodically changed according to a change in the coordinate in the second direction is registered, and the threshold dispersion pattern is determined by using specific frequency information in view of a visual property as a parameter. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The image deformation processing method of claim 10, wherein in the dispersion threshold table, a threshold dispersion pattern in which the threshold is periodically changed according to a change in the coordinate in the second direction is registered, and the threshold dispersion pattern is changed according to a resolution in the output image. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The image deformation processing method of claim 10, wherein in the dispersion threshold table, a threshold dispersion pattern in which the threshold is periodically changed according to a change in the coordinate in the second direction is registered, and the threshold dispersion pattern is changed according to a print property of a print apparatus for printing the output image. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The image deformation processing method of claim 10, wherein a plurality of the dispersion threshold tables are provided, and the dispersion threshold table to be referred when the threshold is obtained, is switched according to an attribute of the specified pixel. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The image deformation processing method of claim 17, wherein one of the dispersion threshold tables is the dispersion threshold table in which the threshold is constant regardless of the coordinate in the second direction.