JP6915455B2 - Image processing equipment, image forming equipment, and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image processing device, an image forming device, and a program.

Patent Document 1 includes an edge determination unit that determines whether or not an image is an edge portion, and an edge redetermination unit that expands the edge region of the image based on the determination result of the edge determination unit and redetermines the edge portion. An image processing apparatus provided is described. This image processing device further includes a processing unit that performs different processing on the image determined to be the edge portion by the edge determination unit and the edge re-determination unit and the image determined to be the non-edge portion, and the density of the pixel of interest in the image. It is provided with a change unit that changes the content of the re-determination process by the edge re-determination unit based on the above.

Similar to Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2 describes an image processing apparatus including an edge determination unit and an edge redetermination unit. This image processing device is further based on a processing unit that performs different processing on an image determined to be an edge portion by an edge determination unit and an edge re-determination unit and an image determined to be a non-edge portion, and an input resolution of the image. It is provided with a change unit for changing the content of the re-determination process by the edge re-determination unit.

Patent Document 3 describes an image processing device that determines whether or not the density of a determination region including the pixel of interest is equal to or greater than a threshold value, with each pixel of the image as the pixel of interest. This threshold value is a threshold value set according to the density of the pixel of interest, and is a threshold value for determining whether or not the pixel of interest is an edge pixel corresponding to an edge portion of an image. Further, when the density of the determination region is equal to or higher than the above threshold value, the image processing device detects the pixel of interest as an edge pixel, and for the edge pixel having a density equal to or higher than a predetermined density among the detected edge pixels. , The correction is performed according to the density of the edge pixel.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-28952 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-38545 Japanese Patent No. 5994741

By the way, in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method or the like, the printed lines and characters are affected by various factors such as temperature and humidity in the external environment and marking characteristics inside the apparatus, and the printed lines and characters are thickened or crushed. Blurring may occur.

In the present invention, the thickness of a line or character in an image can be flexibly adjusted as compared with the case where the pixel value is always uniformly adjusted for the boundary between a pixel indicating that it is a line or a character and a pixel indicating that it is not a line or a character. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing device, an image forming device, and a program that can be adjusted.

In order to achieve the above object, the image processing apparatus according to claim 1 is a second pixel along a boundary with a first pixel indicating a part of a line or a character in an image, and is a part of the line or the character. Of the adjusted pixel whose pixel value is adjusted by the pixel value of the first pixel located in the vicinity of the attention pixel in the predetermined adjustment region including the second pixel indicating that the second pixel is not the attention pixel. When the number is less than the threshold value, the pixel value corresponding to the attention pixel is adjusted based on the pixel value of the nearby pixel which is the first pixel located in the vicinity of the attention pixel, and the number of the adjusted pixels is adjusted. If There is more than the threshold value, an adjustment unit that does not adjust the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest, Ri least one modifiable der of the adjustment region and the threshold value, the threshold value, the adjustment of one or more the value of the following number of pixels in the region Ru is set.

Further, in the image processing apparatus according to claim 2, in the invention according to claim 1, the adjusting unit adjusts the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest, starting from the upper left corner point of the image and lower right corner. With the point as the end point, the pixel of interest is moved from the left end to the right end of the image and from the upper end to the lower end of the image by one pixel at a time.

Further, in the image processing apparatus according to claim 3, in the invention according to claim 2, the pixel of interest is a pixel located at the lower right end of the adjustment region.

Further, in the image processing apparatus according to claim 4, in the invention according to claim 3, the adjustment region is located on each of the pixels above and to the left of the pixel of interest and to the right of the pixel above and next to the pixel of interest. It is a region including each pixel on the left side and the pixel on the left side.

Further, in the image processing apparatus according to claim 5, in the invention according to claim 1, the adjustment unit is the adjusted pixel which is the attention pixel whose pixel value is adjusted, and the attention which does not adjust the pixel value. The pixels are adjusted so as to be arranged periodically.

Further, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the image processing apparatus according to claim 6 indicates that each pixel of the image is a part of the line or character. An allocation unit that allocates either a line character tag or a non-line character tag indicating that it is not a part of the line or a character, and the allocation unit for each predetermined detection area including the pixel of interest. It further includes a detection unit that detects the boundary between the first pixel, which is a pixel to which the line character tag is assigned, and the second pixel, which is a pixel to which the non-line character tag is assigned. be.

Further, in the image processing apparatus according to claim 7, in the invention according to claim 7, the detection unit has a boundary detection pattern corresponding to the detection region, and the pixel of interest, the first pixel, and the like. The boundary is detected by using the boundary detection pattern in which the positional relationship between the second pixel and the neighboring pixels is defined in advance.

On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, the image forming apparatus according to claim 8 is a second pixel along a boundary with a first pixel indicating a part of a line or a character in an image, and is a line or a character. Adjusted in which the pixel value is adjusted by the pixel value of the first pixel located in the vicinity of the attention pixel in the predetermined adjustment region including the second pixel indicating that it is not a part as the attention pixel. When the number of pixels is less than the threshold value, the pixel value corresponding to the attention pixel is adjusted based on the pixel value of the nearby pixel which is the first pixel located in the vicinity of the attention pixel, and the adjusted pixel is adjusted. If the number of is not less than the threshold value, and which forms an adjustment unit that does not adjust the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest, the image is not the image or adjusted pixel value is adjusted by the adjusting unit in a recording medium comprising a part, the said Ri least one modifiable der adjustment region and the threshold value, the threshold value is 1 or more the number of pixels following values of the adjustment region Ru is set.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, the program according to claim 9 is for causing the computer to function as each part included in the image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

According to the first, eighth, and ninth aspects of the invention, the pixel value is always uniformly adjusted with respect to the boundary between the pixel indicating that it is a line or a character and the pixel indicating that it is not a line or a character. Compared with, the thickness of the line or the character in the image can be adjusted flexibly.

According to claims 2, 3, and 4, the thickness of lines or characters can be flexibly adjusted with respect to the entire image.

According to the invention of claim 5, the thickness of the line or character in the image is larger than that in the case where the adjusted pixel, which is the pixel of interest whose pixel value is adjusted, and the pixel of interest whose pixel value is not adjusted are not periodically arranged. You can adjust the image more comfortably.

According to the invention of claim 6, the pixels constituting the line or the character and the pixel forming the line or the character are not formed as compared with the case where the tag indicating whether or not the pixel is a part of the line or the character is not assigned to each pixel. The boundary with the pixel can be detected more accurately.

According to the invention of claim 7, the boundary between the pixel constituting the line or the character and the pixel not forming the line or the character can be detected more accurately than in the case where the boundary detection pattern is not used. ..

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the structure of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the functional structure of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating an example of the rasterization processing by the image forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the processing order in the boundary detection processing of the raster image which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating an example of the boundary detection processing by the image forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the boundary detection pattern which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating an example of the image composition processing after the continuous pixel value adjustment processing by the image forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the adjustment area which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of another adjustment area which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the procedure of the periodic pixel value adjustment processing by the image forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating an example of the image composition processing after the periodic pixel value adjustment processing by the image forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the composite image when each of the continuous pixel value adjustment processing and the periodic pixel value adjustment processing which concerns on 1st Embodiment is applied. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the processing flow of the image processing program which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the functional structure of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating an example of the rasterization processing by the image forming apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, an example of a mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the image forming apparatus 10A according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 10A according to the present embodiment includes an image processing unit 11, a display unit 16, an operation unit 18, an image forming unit 20, a document reading unit 22, and a communication unit 24. , Equipped with. The image processing unit 11 is an example of an image processing device. The image processing unit 11 includes a control unit 12 and a storage unit 14.

The control unit 12 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 12A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12C, and an input / output interface (I / O) 12D, and each of these units is via a bus. Are connected to each other.

Each functional unit including a storage unit 14, a display unit 16, an operation unit 18, an image forming unit 20, a document reading unit 22, and a communication unit 24 is connected to the I / O 12D. Each of these functional units can communicate with the CPU 12A via the I / O 12D.

The control unit 12 may be configured as a part of a main control unit that controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 10A. For example, an integrated circuit such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration) or an IC (Integrated Circuit) chipset is used for a part or all of each block of the control unit 12. An individual circuit may be used for each of the above blocks, or a circuit in which a part or all of them are integrated may be used. Each of the above blocks may be provided integrally, or some blocks may be provided separately. In addition, a part of each of the above blocks may be provided separately. The integration of the control unit 12 is not limited to the LSI, and a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor may be used.

As the storage unit 14, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), a flash memory, or the like is used. The image processing program 14A is stored in the storage unit 14. The image processing program 14A may be stored in the ROM 12B.

The image processing program 14A may be pre-installed in, for example, the image forming apparatus 10A. The image processing program 14A may be realized by storing it in a non-volatile storage medium or distributing it via a network and appropriately installing it in the image forming apparatus 10A. As an example of the non-volatile storage medium, a CD-ROM, a magneto-optical disk, an HDD, a DVD-ROM, a flash memory, a memory card, or the like is assumed.

For the display unit 16, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, or the like is used. The display unit 16 integrally has a touch panel. The operation unit 18 is provided with various operation keys such as a numeric keypad and a start key. The display unit 16 and the operation unit 18 receive various instructions from the user of the image forming apparatus 10A. These various instructions include, for example, an instruction to start reading the original, an instruction to start copying the original, and the like. The display unit 16 displays various information such as the result of the process executed in response to the instruction received from the user and the notification for the process.

The document reading unit 22 captures the documents placed on the paper feed tray of the automatic document feeder (not shown) provided on the upper part of the image forming apparatus 10A one by one, and optically reads the captured documents to obtain image information. .. Alternatively, the document reading unit 22 optically reads the document placed on the platen such as platen glass to obtain image information.

The image forming unit 20 forms an image based on the image information obtained by reading by the document reading unit 22 or the image information obtained from an external PC or the like connected via a network on a recording medium such as paper. do. In the present embodiment, the electrophotographic method will be described as an example of the method for forming an image, but another method such as an inkjet method may be adopted. The image forming unit 20 is an example of the forming unit.

When the method for forming an image is an electrophotographic method, the image forming unit 20 includes a photoconductor drum, a charging unit, an exposure unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit, and a fixing unit. The charging unit applies a voltage to the photoconductor drum to charge the surface of the photoconductor drum. The exposed unit forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor drum by exposing the photoconductor drum charged by the charged unit with light corresponding to the image information. The developing unit develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductor drum with toner to form a toner image on the photoconductor drum. The transfer unit transfers the toner image formed on the photoconductor drum to the recording medium. The fixing unit fixes the toner image transferred to the recording medium by heating and pressurizing.

The communication unit 24 is connected to a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or WAN (Wide Area Network), and can communicate with an external PC or the like (not shown) via the network. The communication unit 24 and the network may be connected by wire or wirelessly.

The CPU 12A of the image forming apparatus 10A according to the present embodiment functions as each unit shown in FIG. 2 by writing the image processing program 14A stored in the storage unit 14 into the RAM 12C and executing the program.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 10A according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 2, the CPU 12A of the image forming apparatus 10A according to the present embodiment functions as a rasterization unit 30, a detection unit 32, an adjustment unit 34, and a composition unit 36. The rasterization unit 30 is an example of an allocation unit.

In the present embodiment, the rasterization unit 30 rasterizes the input vector image to generate a raster image. A vector image is an image in a vector format that expresses an image as a collection of geometric figures such as circles and straight lines. On the other hand, a raster image (also referred to as a so-called bitmap image) is a raster format image that expresses an image as a collection of shades of each point. Each pixel of the raster image has, for example, pixel values (gradation values) of each color of C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black).

Further, the rasterization unit 30 according to the present embodiment has a line character tag indicating that each pixel included in the raster image is a part of a line or a character, and a non-rasterizing unit 30 indicating that the pixel is not a part of the line or the character. Assign one of the line character tags.

The detection unit 32 detects the boundary between the pixel to which the line character tag is assigned by the rasterization unit 30 and the pixel to which the non-line character tag is assigned for each predetermined detection area including the pixel of interest in the raster image. .. In the present embodiment, the pixel to which the line character tag is assigned is referred to as a line character pixel, and the pixel to which the non-line character tag is assigned is referred to as a non-line character pixel. The line character pixel is an example of the first pixel, and the non-line character pixel is an example of the second pixel.

When the boundary is detected by the detection unit 32 and the number of adjusted pixels is less than the threshold value in the predetermined adjustment region including the non-line character pixel along the boundary as the pixel of interest. , The pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest is adjusted based on the pixel value of the neighboring pixel. At least one of the adjustment area and the threshold can be changed. The adjustment area is an area used for adjusting the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest. The adjusted pixel is a pixel of interest whose pixel value is adjusted by the pixel value of a line character pixel located in the vicinity of the pixel of interest. The neighborhood pixel is a line character pixel located in the vicinity of the pixel of interest. Further, the “neighborhood” here means a position within a predetermined distance with respect to the pixel of interest, and for example, a position within 3 pixels from the pixel of interest.

The compositing unit 36 synthesizes a raster image rasterized by the rasterizing unit 30 and a modified image having a pixel of interest whose pixel value has been adjusted by the adjusting unit 34, and outputs a composite image. The modified image will be described later.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 12, each unit of the rasterization unit 30, the detection unit 32, the adjustment unit 34, and the composition unit 36 included in the image forming apparatus 10A according to the present embodiment will be specifically described.

In the present embodiment, the line character tag and the non-line character tag are used to detect the boundary between the line character pixel and the non-line character pixel, but a method by pixel value calculation is used to detect the boundary. You may use it.

First, the rasterization process by the image forming apparatus 10A according to the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of rasterization processing by the image forming apparatus 10A according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rasterization unit 30 according to the present embodiment accepts the input of the object information of the vector image together with the vector image. The object information of a vector image is, for example, information about graphic elements such as point coordinates and line angles in graphics, and information about character elements such as character codes, font types, and sizes in texts. .. The rasterization unit 30 rasterizes the vector image using the object information to generate a raster image.

Further, the rasterization unit 30 assigns either a line character tag or a non-line character tag to each pixel of the raster image based on the above object information. As a result of the allocation, the rasterization unit 30 according to the present embodiment stores 1-bit information for distinguishing the line character tag or the non-line character tag in the storage unit 14 in association with each pixel of the raster image. For example, if the information is "0", it indicates that a line character tag is assigned, and if the information is "1", it indicates that a non-line character tag is assigned. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the pixel to which the line character tag is assigned is defined as the line character pixel Tg1, and the pixel to which the non-line character tag is assigned is designated as the non-line character pixel Tg2.

Next, the boundary detection process by the image forming apparatus 10A according to the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the processing order in the boundary detection processing of the raster image according to the present embodiment.
As shown by the arrows in FIG. 4, in the boundary detection process according to the present embodiment, the upper left corner point of the raster image is set as the start point and the lower right corner point is set as the end point, and the pixel of interest is directed from the left end to the right end of the raster image and the upper end. The boundary is detected while moving one pixel at a time from the to the lower end.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the boundary detection process by the image forming apparatus 10A according to the first embodiment.

As an example, the detection unit 32 according to the present embodiment detects the boundary between the line character pixel Tg1 and the non-line character pixel Tg2 for each detection area 40 including the attention pixel Ap1. The detection area 40 is an area used for detecting the boundary between the line character pixel Tg1 and the non-line character pixel Tg2, and is a region different from the above adjustment area. As the detection region 40, as an example, a region of 3 × 3 is shown, but an region of 5 × 5, 7 × 7, etc. may be used. The arrangement of the pixels in the detection area 40 is not limited to the arrangement in which the number of pixels in the vertical direction and the number of pixels in the horizontal direction are the same, and the number of pixels in the vertical direction and the number of pixels in the horizontal direction may be different. ..

Here, the detection unit 32 detects the boundary between the line character pixel Tg1 and the non-line character pixel Tg2 by performing pattern matching on the raster image using the boundary detection pattern corresponding to the detection area 40. ..

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a boundary detection pattern according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 6, each of the boundary detection patterns according to the present embodiment is an image for pattern matching corresponding to the above-mentioned detection area 40, and in the present embodiment, the same 3 × 3 as the detection area 40. Image is applied.

In the boundary detection pattern according to the present embodiment, the positional relationship between the attention pixel Ap1, the line character pixel Tg1, the non-line character pixel Tg2, and the neighboring pixel Np1 is defined in advance. The pixel Dc1 is a pixel indicating that the pixel value is arbitrary (Don't Care). In the present embodiment, the pixel located at the center of the boundary detection pattern is designated as the pixel of interest Ap1. The pixel of interest Ap1 is a non-line character pixel Tg2. The neighborhood pixel Np1 is a line character pixel Tg1 located in the vicinity of the pixel of interest Ap1. The neighboring pixel Np1 is a pixel located within a predetermined distance with respect to the pixel of interest Ap1. For example, a pixel located within 3 pixels from the pixel of interest Ap1 is applied to the neighboring pixel Np1. The pixel value of the neighboring pixel Np1 is used for adjusting the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 as described later.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of types of boundary detection patterns are stored in advance in the storage unit 14. The nearby pixel Np1 of the attention pixel Ap1 according to the present embodiment is a pixel located on any of the right side, the left side, the upper side, and the lower side of the attention pixel Ap1. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of types of boundary detection patterns are provided for the case where the neighboring pixel Np1 is located on any of the right side, left side, top side, and bottom side of the attention pixel Ap1. There is. The present embodiment is similarly applied to the case where one type of boundary detection pattern is provided for each of the case where the neighboring pixel Np1 is located on the right side, the left side side, the upper side side, and the lower side of the attention pixel Ap1. Will be done.

The detection unit 32 according to the present embodiment selectively uses a plurality of types of boundary detection patterns for each of the above-mentioned adjacent directions to perform pattern matching on a raster image. For example, all patterns in which the positions of the neighboring pixel Np1 are located on the right side, the left side, the upper side, and the lower side of the attention pixel Ap1 may be used, or the nearby pixel Np1 is on the right side and the lower side of the attention pixel Ap1. Only the pattern located at may be used. By properly using the boundary detection pattern in this way, the lines and characters are adjusted to different thicknesses in the pixel value adjustment process described later. For example, when all the patterns on the right side, the left side, the top side, and the bottom side are used, the thickness of the line and the character is adjusted to be thicker by two pixels. On the other hand, when only the patterns adjacent to the right and the patterns adjacent to the bottom are used, the thickness of the lines and characters is adjusted to be thicker by one pixel. It is desirable that the user can set how much the thickness of the line and the character is adjusted. For example, it is possible to display an adjustment amount setting screen (not shown) for the user to set the level of the thickness adjustment amount. On this adjustment amount setting screen, for example, when a large level is set, a pattern is selected so as to be adjusted to be thicker by 2 pixels, and when a small level is set, the pattern is adjusted to be thicker by 1 pixel. The pattern is selected so that it is.

In the detection unit 32, when the arrangement pattern of the pixels in the detection area 40 shown in FIG. 5 matches any of the boundary detection patterns shown in FIG. 6, the boundary between the line character pixel Tg1 and the non-line character pixel Tg2 is set. Determined to exist. Here, when the arrangement pattern of the pixels in the detection area 40 and the boundary detection pattern match, the boundary between the line character pixel Tg1 and the non-line character pixel Tg2 is detected, and the attention pixel Ap1 is non-line. This is the case where the character pixel Tg2 is used. On the other hand, when the arrangement pattern of the pixels in the detection area 40 does not match any of the boundary detection patterns shown in FIG. 6, it is determined that the boundary between the line character pixel Tg1 and the non-line character pixel Tg2 does not exist.

By the way, in the image forming apparatus 10A according to the present embodiment, the continuous pixel value adjustment process and the periodic pixel value adjustment process are selectively executed. It is desirable that the pixel value adjustment process to be executed can be selected by the user, for example. The continuous pixel value adjustment process is a process of continuously adjusting the pixel value for all the pixels of interest Ap1 whose boundaries are detected by pattern matching. The continuous pixel value adjustment process is a process executed by the adjustment unit 34 and the composition unit 36. On the other hand, the periodic pixel value adjustment process is a process of periodically adjusting the pixel value of the attention pixel Ap1 whose boundary is detected by pattern matching, for example, every other pixel value, every two pixels, and the like. be. The periodic pixel value adjustment process is a process executed by the adjustment unit 34 and the composition unit 36.

First, each operation of the adjustment unit 34 and the composition unit 36 when the image forming apparatus 10A according to the present embodiment performs continuous pixel value adjustment processing will be described.

When any of the boundary detection patterns shown in FIG. 6 is matched by pattern matching by the detection unit 32, the adjustment unit 34 sets the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 based on the pixel value of the neighboring pixel Np1. adjust. As the adjustment performed here, the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 may be replaced with the pixel value of the neighboring pixel Np1 or may be adjusted to a value close to the pixel value of the neighboring pixel Np1. As a value close to the pixel value of the neighboring pixel Np1, a pixel value within a predetermined range based on the pixel value is applied. For example, a pixel value in the range of 80% or more and less than 100% of the pixel value of the neighboring pixel Np1 is applied.

In this way, the pixel value of the attention pixel Ap1 which is a non-line character pixel is replaced with the pixel value of the neighboring pixel Np1 which is a line character pixel. Alternatively, the pixel value of the pixel of interest Ap1 is adjusted to a value close to the pixel value of the neighboring pixel Np1. Therefore, in the image after the continuous pixel value adjustment processing, the lines or characters are visually recognized thicker than those before the continuous pixel value adjustment processing.

The adjustment unit 34 updates the non-line character tag assigned to the attention pixel Ap1 to the line character tag for the attention pixel Ap1 whose pixel value has been adjusted before the continuous pixel value adjustment processing.

Here, the adjustment unit 34 performs the above-mentioned continuous pixel value adjustment process using a modified image different from the raster image. The modified image referred to here is an image in which only the attention pixel Ap1 whose pixel value is adjusted based on the pixel value of the neighboring pixel Np1 is arranged, and is an image shown in FIG. 7 as an example.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the image composition processing after the continuous pixel value adjustment processing by the image forming apparatus 10A according to the first embodiment.

As an example, the synthesis unit 36 according to the present embodiment includes a raster image rasterized by the rasterization unit 30 and a modified image having only the attention pixel Ap1 whose pixel value is adjusted by the adjustment unit 34. Is output to the image forming unit 20.

Here, the reason for separating the raster image and the modified image will be described.
As described above, pattern matching using the boundary detection pattern is performed on the raster image. Therefore, if the pixel value of the pixel of interest Ap1 is directly adjusted in the raster image to thicken the line or character, pattern matching is further performed on the raster image after the line or character is thickened, and the line or character is further thickened. In some cases, the characters may be fattened endlessly.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the raster image itself is maintained in the original state by processing the raster image and the modified image separately. As a result, the occurrence of the situation where the line or character is thickened endlessly as described above is suppressed.

By the way, in the above-mentioned continuous pixel value adjustment process, since the pixel value is continuously adjusted for the attention pixel Ap1 in which the boundary is detected, it is not always possible to flexibly adjust the thickness of the line or character in the image. Is not always. Therefore, depending on the user, it may be felt that the thickness of the line or character after adjusting the pixel value is too thick.

On the other hand, in the periodic pixel value adjustment process, the pixel value is periodically adjusted for the pixel of interest Ap1 whose boundary is detected, for example, every other pixel value, every two pixels, and the like. Therefore, the thickness of the line or character is slightly thinner than the thickness of the line or character whose pixel value is adjusted by the continuous pixel value adjustment processing, and the user visually recognizes the line or character as a more appropriate thickness.

Next, the operations of the adjusting unit 34 and the combining unit 36 when the image forming apparatus 10A according to the present embodiment performs the periodic pixel value adjusting processing will be described.

When any of the boundary detection patterns shown in FIG. 6 is matched by pattern matching by the detection unit 32, the adjustment unit 34 uses the adjustment region 42 shown in FIG. 8 as an example to cover the pixel of interest Ap1. It is determined whether or not to adjust the pixel value of the corresponding pixel. As an example, when the pattern matching by the detection unit 32 does not match any of the boundary detection patterns shown in FIG. 6, the pixel value of the pixel corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 is not adjusted.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the adjustment region 42 according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 8, the adjustment region 42 is a region including the same attention pixel Ap1 as the detection region 40 described above. In the case of the adjustment region 42 shown in FIG. 8, the pixel of interest Ap1 is located at the lower right end of the adjustment region 42.

As an example, the adjustment region 42 according to the present embodiment is the pixel p2 above and to the left of the pixel of interest Ap1, the pixel p4 to the left, the pixel p3 to the right of the pixel p2, and the left of the pixel p2, as shown in FIG. This is an area including the adjacent pixel p1. That is, there are no pixels on the right side and the bottom side of the pixel of interest Ap1. The detection area 40 described above is an area applied to the raster image, and the adjustment area 42 is an area applied to the modified image.

When the number of adjusted pixels in the adjustment area 42 is less than the threshold value, the adjusting unit 34 adjusts the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 based on the pixel value of the neighboring pixel Np1. On the other hand, when the number of adjusted pixels in the adjustment region 42 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the adjustment unit 34 does not adjust the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 regardless of the pixel value of the neighboring pixel Np1. For example, "1" is set as the above threshold value. In this case, when the number of adjusted pixels in the adjustment area 42 is less than one (= 0), that is, when all the pixels p1 to p4 in the adjustment area 42 are not adjusted pixels. The pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 is adjusted. On the other hand, when the number of adjusted pixels in the adjustment area 42 is one or more, that is, when one or more of the pixels p1 to p4 in the adjustment area 42 are adjusted pixels, it corresponds to the pixel of interest Ap1. Do not adjust the pixel value.

As described above, the adjusting unit 34 adjusts the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 based on the pixel value of the neighboring pixel Np1. The adjustment performed here is the same as in the case of the continuous pixel value adjustment process described above. As a result of this adjustment, the attention pixel Ap1 (that is, the adjusted pixel) whose pixel value is adjusted and the attention pixel Ap1 whose pixel value is not adjusted are periodically arranged in the corrected image. As an example, when the adjustment region 42 shown in FIG. 8 is applied, the attention pixel Ap1 (adjusted pixel) whose pixel value is adjusted and the attention pixel Ap1 whose pixel value is not adjusted are arranged alternately.

In addition, as in the case of the continuous pixel value adjustment processing described above, the adjustment unit 34 has the non-line character assigned to the attention pixel Ap1 before the periodic pixel value adjustment processing for the attention pixel Ap1 whose pixel value has been adjusted. Update the tag to a line character tag.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of another adjustment region 44 according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 9, the adjustment area 44 is an area including the same attention pixel Ap1 as the detection area 40 in the lower right end, similarly to the adjustment area 42 shown in FIG.

As for the adjustment area 44 shown in FIG. 9, similarly to the adjustment area 42 shown in FIG. 8, there are no pixels on the right side and the lower side of the attention pixel Ap1. In the adjustment area 44, for example, "2" is set as the above threshold value. Specifically, when the number of adjusted pixels in the adjustment area 44 is less than 2 (= 0 or 1), that is, one or less of the pixels p1 to p12 in the adjustment area 44 When the pixel is adjusted, the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 is adjusted. On the other hand, when the number of adjusted pixels in the adjustment area 44 is two or more, that is, when two or more of the pixels p1 to p12 in the adjustment area 44 are adjusted pixels, it corresponds to the pixel of interest Ap1. Do not adjust the pixel value.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a procedure of periodic pixel value adjustment processing by the image forming apparatus 10A according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the periodic pixel value adjustment process by the image forming apparatus 10A will be described more specifically with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the case where the adjustment area 42 shown in FIG. 8 is applied will be described, but the adjustment area 44 shown in FIG. 9 may be applied.

First, in (S1), the detection unit 32 applies the detection area 40 to the raster image and detects the boundary between the line character pixel Tg1 and the non-line character pixel Tg2 by pattern matching. When the boundary is detected, the adjustment unit 34 applies the adjustment area 42 to the corrected image and determines whether or not to adjust the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1. Here, since the adjusted pixel Bp1 is not included in the adjustment region 42, it is determined that the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 is adjusted. The adjusting unit 34 adjusts the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 based on the pixel value of the neighboring pixel Np1 shown in FIG. 6 according to the result of the determination to obtain the adjusted pixel Bp1.

In (S2), after moving the pixel of interest Ap1 to the right, the detection unit 32 similarly applies the detection area 40 to the raster image, and pattern matching results in line character pixel Tg1 and non-line character pixel Tg2. Detect the boundary with. When the boundary is detected, the adjustment unit 34 applies the adjustment area 42 to the corrected image and determines whether or not to adjust the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1. Here, since one adjusted pixel Bp1 is included in the adjustment area 42, it is determined that the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 is not adjusted.

In (S3), after the attention pixel Ap1 is further moved to the right, the detection unit 32 similarly applies the detection area 40 to the raster image, and the line character pixel Tg1 and the non-line character pixel are pattern-matched. The boundary with Tg2 is detected. When the boundary is detected, the adjustment unit 34 applies the adjustment area 42 to the corrected image and determines whether or not to adjust the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1. Here, since the adjusted pixel Bp1 is not included in the adjustment region 42, it is determined that the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 is adjusted. The adjusting unit 34 adjusts the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 based on the pixel value of the neighboring pixel Np1 shown in FIG. 6 according to the result of the determination to obtain the adjusted pixel Bp1.

In (S4), after the attention pixel Ap1 is further moved to the right, the detection unit 32 similarly applies the detection area 40 to the raster image, and the line character pixel Tg1 and the non-line character pixel are pattern-matched. The boundary with Tg2 is detected. When the boundary is detected, the adjustment unit 34 applies the adjustment area 42 to the corrected image and determines whether or not to adjust the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1. Here, since one adjusted pixel Bp1 is included in the adjustment area 42, it is determined that the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 is not adjusted. Hereinafter, similarly, the pixel value adjustment process is repeatedly executed while moving the position of the pixel of interest Ap1 pixel by pixel.

Here, the adjustment unit 34 performs the above-mentioned periodic pixel value adjustment process using a modified image different from the raster image. The modified image referred to here is an image in which the attention pixel Ap1 whose pixel value is adjusted based on the pixel value of the neighboring pixel Np1 and the attention pixel Ap1 whose pixel value is not adjusted are arranged. It is an image shown in 11.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the image composition processing after the periodic pixel value adjustment processing by the image forming apparatus 10A according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 11, as a result of performing the above periodic pixel value adjustment processing on the raster image, the attention pixel Ap1 whose pixel value is adjusted and the attention pixel Ap1 whose pixel value is not adjusted alternate as an example. A modified image placed in is generated.

As shown in FIG. 11, the compositing unit 36 according to the present embodiment outputs a composite image obtained by combining the rasterized image rasterized by the rasterizing unit 30 and the modified image generated by the adjusting unit 34 to the image forming unit 20. do. In this case, the composite image is formed in a comb-teeth shape as an example.

The image forming unit 20 according to the present embodiment forms the composite image shown in FIG. 11 output by the synthesis unit 36 on a recording medium such as paper.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a composite image when each of the continuous pixel value adjustment process and the periodic pixel value adjustment process according to the first embodiment is applied.

As shown in FIG. 12, in the composite image to which the continuous pixel value adjustment processing is applied, the line thickness in the raster image is thickened by one pixel. On the other hand, in the composite image to which the periodic pixel value adjustment process using the adjustment region 42 shown in FIG. 8 is applied as an example, the line thickness in the raster image is thickened by 1/2 pixel for the user. It is visually recognized as if it were. This is because, in the composite image to which the periodic pixel value adjustment process is applied, the pixels whose pixel values are adjusted and the pixels whose pixel values are not adjusted are alternately arranged with respect to the raster image. Although the composite image shown in FIG. 12 is actually in the shape of a fine comb tooth, it is difficult for the user to distinguish it, and the composite image is visually recognized as a continuous line by the user.

On the other hand, in the composite image in which the periodic pixel value adjustment process using the adjustment area 44 shown in FIG. 9 is applied instead of the adjustment area 42 shown in FIG. 8, the thickness of the line in the raster image is 2/3 for the user. It is visually recognized as being thicker by the amount equivalent to the pixel. In this way, by appropriately setting the pixel arrangement pattern in the adjustment area and the number of adjusted pixels, the thickness of the line or character can be flexibly adjusted according to the user's preference. It is desirable that the user can set how much the thickness of lines and characters is adjusted by the periodic pixel value adjustment process. For example, it is possible to display an adjustment amount setting screen (not shown) for the user to set the level of the thickness adjustment amount. On this adjustment amount setting screen, for example, when a large level is set, the adjustment area 44 shown in FIG. 9 is selected and a small level is set so that the adjustment area 44 is visually recognized as thick as 2/3 pixels. The adjustment region 42 shown in FIG. 8 is selected so that it can be visually recognized as thick as 1/2 pixel.

Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 10A according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of the image processing program 14A according to the first embodiment.

First, on the menu screen (not shown) related to image processing of the image forming apparatus 10A, for example, when an item of "line character thickness adjustment" is selected by a user operation and execution is instructed, the image processing program 14A is executed. It will be launched and perform each of the following steps. Here, a case where the periodic pixel value adjustment process is applied will be described.

In step 100 of FIG. 13, the rasterization unit 30 accepts the input of the vector image and the object information as described with reference to FIG. 3 described above.

In step 102, the rasterization unit 30 rasterizes the vector image and generates a raster image by using the object information as described with reference to FIG. 3 described above.

In step 104, as described with reference to FIG. 3 described above, the rasterization unit 30 attaches either a line character tag or a non-line character tag to each pixel of the raster image based on the object information. assign.

In step 106, the detection unit 32 relatives to the detection region 40 (see also FIG. 5) including the Mth pixel of the raster image (M = 1 or more and m or less: m is the total number of pixels of the raster image) as the pixel of interest Ap1. , Pattern matching is performed by selectively using the boundary detection pattern shown in FIG. It is assumed that the initial value of M is set to "1".

In step 108, as a result of pattern matching in step 106, the detection unit 32 determines whether or not the arrangement pattern of the pixels in the detection region 40 including the pixel of interest Ap1 matches any of a plurality of types of boundary detection patterns. do. If it is determined that they match (in the case of affirmative determination), the process proceeds to step 110, and if it is determined that they do not match (in the case of a negative determination), the process proceeds to step 116.

In step 110, the adjusting unit 34 determines whether or not to adjust the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1. Specifically, as an example, when the number of adjusted pixels Bp1 in the adjustment region 42 is less than the threshold value, the adjusting unit 34 sets the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 based on the pixel value of the neighboring pixel Np1. It is determined that the adjustment is made (affirmative determination), and the process proceeds to step 112. On the other hand, when the number of adjusted pixels Bp1 in the adjustment region 42 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the adjusting unit 34 does not adjust the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 regardless of the pixel value of the neighboring pixel Np1. (Negative determination), and the process proceeds to step 116.

In step 112, the adjusting unit 34 specifies the position of the neighboring pixel Np1 corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 in the raster image based on the boundary detection pattern matched by the process of step 108 with respect to the pixel of interest Ap1. That is, it is specified whether the neighboring pixel Np1 is located on the left side, the right side side, the upper side side, or the lower side side of the attention pixel Ap1.

In step 114, the adjusting unit 34 adjusts the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 based on the pixel value of the nearby pixel Np1 at the position specified by the process of step 112. At this time, the adjustment unit 34 updates the non-line character tag assigned to the pixel of interest Ap1 to the line character tag.

In step 116, the adjusting unit 34 determines whether or not the processing has been completed for all the pixels included in the raster image. When it is determined that the processing is completed for all the pixels (in the case of affirmative determination), the process proceeds to step 118. On the other hand, when it is determined that the processing has not been completed for all the pixels (in the case of a negative determination), the process returns to step 106, and the processing is repeated with the Mth pixel of the raster image (incrementing only one M) as the pixel of interest Ap1. ..

In step 118, as described with reference to FIG. 11, the compositing unit 36 obtains a raster image rasterized by the rasterization unit 30 and a modified image having the attention pixel Ap1 whose pixel value is adjusted by the adjustment unit 34. Combine to generate a composite image. Then, the compositing unit 36 outputs the generated composite image to the image forming unit 20, and ends a series of processing by the image processing program 14A.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, two types of tags, a line character tag and a non-line character tag, are used to perform periodic pixel value adjustment processing without distinguishing between lines and characters. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, four types of tags, a line tag, a character tag, a non-line tag, and a non-character tag, are used to distinguish between a line and a character and perform periodic pixel value adjustment processing. It should be noted that this embodiment can be similarly applied not only to the periodic pixel value adjustment process but also to the continuous pixel value adjustment process.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 10B according to the second embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 14, the image forming apparatus 10B according to the present embodiment includes a rasterization unit 50, a detection unit 52, an adjustment unit 54, and a composition unit 36. The components having the same function are designated by the same reference numerals, and the repeated description will be omitted.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of rasterization processing by the image forming apparatus 10B according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 15, the rasterization unit 50 according to the present embodiment accepts input of object information of the vector image together with the vector image including lines and characters. Similar to the first embodiment, the rasterization unit 50 rasterizes the vector image based on the object information to generate a raster image.

In the present embodiment, the line character tag includes a line tag and a character tag, and the non-line character tag includes a non-line tag and a non-character tag. The rasterization unit 50 assigns any one of a line tag, a character tag, a non-line tag, and a non-character tag to each pixel of the raster image based on the above object information. A line tag is a tag indicating that a pixel is a part of a line. A character tag is a tag indicating that a pixel is a part of a character. The non-line tag is a tag indicating that the pixel is non-line. The non-character tag is a tag indicating that the pixel is non-character.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the pixel to which the line tag is assigned is designated as the line pixel Tg3, and the pixel to which the non-line tag is assigned is designated as the non-line pixel Tg5. Similarly, the pixel to which the character tag is assigned is designated as the character pixel Tg4, and the pixel to which the non-character tag is assigned is designated as the non-character pixel Tg6. However, the non-line pixel Tg5 and the non-character pixel Tg6 are the same pixel. As a result of the allocation, the rasterization unit 50 according to the present embodiment stores 2-bit information for distinguishing the line tag, the character tag, the non-line tag, and the non-character tag in association with each pixel of the raster image. Store in part 14. For example, if the information is "00", it indicates that a line tag is assigned, and if the information is "01", it indicates that a character tag is assigned. Similarly, if the information is "10", it indicates that a non-line tag is assigned, and if the information is "11", it indicates that a non-character tag is assigned.

As described with reference to FIG. 5 described above, the detection unit 52 according to the present embodiment detects the boundary between the line pixel Tg3 and the non-line pixel Tg5 for each detection region 40 including the pixel of interest Ap1. However, the line character pixel Tg1 shown in FIG. 5 is read as the line pixel Tg3, and the non-line character pixel Tg2 is read as the non-line pixel Tg5. Similarly, the detection unit 52 detects the boundary between the character pixel Tg4 and the non-character pixel Tg6 for each detection region 40 including the pixel of interest Ap1. However, the line character pixel Tg1 shown in FIG. 5 is read as a character pixel Tg4, and the non-line character pixel Tg2 is read as a non-character pixel Tg6.

In the boundary detection process according to the present embodiment, pattern matching using the boundary detection pattern shown in FIG. 6 is applied to each of the case of line detection and the case of character detection, as in the first embodiment. Will be done.

When any of the boundary detection patterns shown in FIG. 6 matches by pattern matching in the case of line detection, the adjustment unit 54 according to the present embodiment sets the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 to the pixel of the neighboring pixel Np1. Determine whether to adjust based on the value. In this case, the pixel of interest Ap1 is the non-line pixel Tg5, and the neighboring pixel Np1 is the line pixel Tg3. Then, in the case of line detection, periodic pixel value adjustment processing is performed using the adjustment region 42 shown in FIG. 8 as an example. On the other hand, when any of the boundary detection patterns shown in FIG. 6 is matched by pattern matching in the case of character detection, the adjustment unit 54 sets the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest Ap1 based on the pixel value of the neighboring pixel Np1. To determine whether or not to make adjustments. In this case, the pixel of interest Ap1 is the non-character pixel Tg6, and the neighboring pixel Np1 is the character pixel Tg4. Then, in the case of character detection, the periodic pixel value adjustment process is performed using the adjustment area 44 shown in FIG. 9 as an example.

By properly using the adjustment area as described above, the lines and characters are adjusted to different thicknesses. For example, when the adjustment area 42 is used, the line thickness is adjusted so that it can be visually recognized as thick as 1/2 pixel. On the other hand, when the adjustment area 44 is used, the thickness of the character is adjusted so that it can be visually recognized as thick as 2/3 pixels.

In the above, the image processing apparatus and the image forming apparatus have been illustrated and described as embodiments. The embodiment may be in the form of a program for causing a computer to execute the functions of each part included in the image processing device or the image forming device. The embodiment may be in the form of a storage medium that can be read by a computer that stores this program.

In addition, the configuration of the image processing device or the image forming device described in the above embodiment is an example, and may be changed depending on the situation within a range that does not deviate from the gist.

Further, the processing flow of the program described in the above embodiment is also an example, and even if unnecessary steps are deleted, new steps are added, or the processing order is changed within a range that does not deviate from the purpose. good.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the processing according to the embodiment is realized by the software configuration by using the computer by executing the program has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The embodiment may be realized by, for example, a hardware configuration or a combination of a hardware configuration and a software configuration.

10A, 10B Image forming apparatus 11 Image processing unit 12 Control unit 12A CPU
12B ROM
12C RAM
12D I / O
14 Storage unit 14A Image processing program 16 Display unit 18 Operation unit 20 Image forming unit 22 Document reading unit 24 Communication unit 30, 50 Rasterization unit 32, 52 Detection unit 34, 54, Adjustment unit 36 Synthesis unit 40 Detection area 42, 44 Adjustment region

Claims (9)

A predetermined adjustment that includes the second pixel along the boundary with the first pixel indicating a part of a line or character in the image and not a part of the line or character as a pixel of interest. When the number of adjusted pixels whose pixel value is adjusted by the pixel value of the first pixel located in the vicinity of the pixel of interest in the region is less than the threshold value, the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest is determined. Adjustment is made based on the pixel value of the nearby pixel, which is the first pixel located in the vicinity of the attention pixel, and when the number of the adjusted pixels is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the pixel value corresponding to the attention pixel is adjusted. Equipped with an adjustment unit that does not
Ri least one modifiable der of the adjustment regions and the threshold value,
The threshold value is 1 or more the adjustment region image processing apparatus following values: number of pixels Ru is set in. The adjusting unit adjusts the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest with the upper left corner point of the image as the start point and the lower right corner point as the end point, and the attention pixel is directed from the left end to the right end of the image and the image. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing apparatus is performed while moving one pixel at a time from the upper end to the lower end of the image. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the pixel of interest is a pixel located at the lower right end of the adjustment region. The image processing according to claim 3, wherein the adjustment area is an area including each pixel on the upper side and the left side of the pixel of interest, and each pixel on the right side and the left side of the upper side pixel. Device. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting unit adjusts the adjusted pixel, which is the pixel of interest whose pixel value is adjusted, and the pixel of interest whose pixel value is not adjusted so as to be periodically arranged. Assignment to assign either a line character tag indicating that it is a part of the line or character and a non-line character tag indicating that it is not a part of the line or character to each pixel of the image. Department and
The first pixel, which is a pixel to which the line character tag is assigned by the allocation unit, and the second pixel, which is a pixel to which the non-line character tag is assigned, for each predetermined detection region including the pixel of interest. A detection unit that detects the boundary with the pixel,
The image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising. The detection unit is a boundary detection pattern corresponding to the detection region, and the boundary detection pattern in which the positional relationship between the attention pixel, the first pixel, the second pixel, and the neighboring pixels is defined in advance. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the boundary is detected by using the image processing apparatus. A predetermined adjustment that includes the second pixel along the boundary with the first pixel indicating a part of a line or character in the image and not a part of the line or character as a pixel of interest. When the number of adjusted pixels whose pixel value is adjusted by the pixel value of the first pixel located in the vicinity of the pixel of interest in the region is less than the threshold value, the pixel value corresponding to the pixel of interest is determined. Adjustment is made based on the pixel value of the nearby pixel, which is the first pixel located in the vicinity of the attention pixel, and when the number of the adjusted pixels is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the pixel value corresponding to the attention pixel is adjusted. With the adjustment part that does not
A forming unit that forms the image whose pixel value is adjusted by the adjusting unit or the image whose pixel value is not adjusted on a recording medium, and a forming unit.
With
Ri least one modifiable der of the adjustment regions and the threshold value,
The threshold value is 1 or more the adjustment region image forming apparatus which the value of or less than the number of pixels Ru is set in. A program for causing a computer to function as each part included in the image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Images