High resolution thermal printing by imaging a hard copy image in vertical and horizontal increments smaller than the pixel pitch of a video imager array
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorStanley W. Stephenson, III
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for generating a high resolution image for a thermal printer from a video imager having a plurality of pixels with a preselected pitch comprises dithering the video imager. The video imager is dithered at less than the pitch of the pixels and provides arrays of data representing video imager positions generated by halfstep offsets of the video imager in the horizontal and vertical directions. The halfstep movement of the video imager causes the pixels to map a new area of an image without overlap of a previously mapped area. The dithered arrays are transmitted to a thermal printer so that the printed image contains more information than is generated by a static video imager.
Claims17
A method for generating a high resolution thermal image from a video imager having a plurality of pixels with a preselected pitch, comprising the step of:
- dithering said video imager at less than the pitch of said pixels and providing arrays of data representing video imager positions generated by partial step offsets of said video imager in horizontal and vertical directions so that said partial step movement of the video imager causes said pixels to map a new horizontal and vertical area of an image without overlap of a previously mapped area.
An apparatus for generating a high resolution thermal image from a video imager having a plurality of pixels with a preselected pitch, comprising:
- means for dithering said video imager at less than the pitch of said pixels and producing arrays of data representing video imager positions generated by partial offsets of said video imager in horizontal and vertical directions so that a partial step movement of the video imager causes said pixels to map a new horizontal and vertical area of an image without overlap of a previously mapped area said video imager coupled to said means.
An apparatus for generating a high resolution thermal image from a video imager having a plurality of pixels with a preselected pitch, comprising:
- means for dithering said video imager at less than the pitch of said pixels and producing four sequential arrays of data representing four video imager positions generated by half step offsets of said video imager in horizontal and vertical directions;
- and
- storage means for receiving said four arrays of data and intermingling positions of said four arrays of data without overlapping said positions so that half step movement of the video imager causes said pixels to map a new area of an image without overlap of a previously mapped area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.