Image recording apparatus for recording an image according...

Photocopying – Projection printing and copying cameras – Identifying – composing – or selecting

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C355S027000, C358S504000, C358S406000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06297873

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus which, when an image recorded on a photograph film or the like is printed onto a photosensitive material by exposure, carries out calibration by correcting an exposure rate, color gradation of the like so as to obtain an appropriate finished print image.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a photograph printing apparatus for printing an image of a photograph film onto a photosensitive material, there are cases in which an appropriate print image cannot be obtained because the printing color development characteristic changes depending on the kind of photosensitive material and due to environmental changes such as changes in temperature, humidity and the like at the printing time, deterioration of the development liquid, and the like. In such cases, a test pattern for printer calibration is printed and the density of this test pattern is measured. According to the results, the printer is calibrated by correcting the exposure amount, color gradation, or the like so that the resulting image is appropriate, and then, printing is started.
However, if the print color development characteristic changes due to use of a different type of photosensitive material or environmental changes such as changes in temperature, humidity and the like at the printing time and thus an appropriate image cannot be obtained, a test pattern for calibration is printed each time when such a case arises, and then the printer is calibrated by measuring the density or the like. Therefore, a problem arises in that efficiency of this calibration work is poor and photosensitive materials for the calibration test patterns are wasted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus in which printer calibration is carried out, without printing a calibration test pattern to measure a print density, by calibration by computing an image input/output characteristic, in accordance with previous calibration history information or environmental information including temperature changes or the like, thereby improving working efficiency and eliminating waste of photosensitive materials.
To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an image recording apparatus for recording an image on a photosensitive material wherein a calibration test pattern is outputted on the basis of calibration test pattern data, the output calibration test pattern is read, an image input/output characteristic is computed on the bases of the read pattern data, and calibration is carried out, the image recording apparatus comprising: photosensitive material characteristic storage means for storing a characteristic of a photosensitive material; environmental information obtaining means for obtaining environmental information which affects changes in the characteristic of the photosensitive material; photosensitive material characteristic reading means for reading the characteristic of the photosensitive material from the photosensitive material characteristic storage means; and estimated calibration means for computing an image input/output characteristic for calibration from the characteristic read by the photosensitive material characteristic reading means, previous calibration information including the image input/output characteristic computed at a previous calibration time, and the environmental information at a current calibration time.
According to the first aspect of the invention, photosensitive material characteristic information such as the &ggr; characteristic, base material, surface type and the like of types of photosensitive materials are stored by the photosensitive material characteristic storage means. The photosensitive material characteristics stored in the photosensitive material storage means are read out by the photosensitive material characteristic reading means. Further, environmental information is obtained by the environmental information obtaining means. The environmental information may be any information of environmental conditions which indicates environmental conditions (temperature, humidity or the like) affecting change in the photosensitive characteristic.
Then, by the estimated calibration means computing an image input/output characteristic for calibration from the previous calibration information, the photosensitive material characteristic information and the environmental information, calibration can be carried out. That is, the previous calibration information may include the image input/output characteristic computed when previous calibration is carried out, the previous environmental information used for the previous calibration, and the photosensitive material characteristic information (which may be only type of the photosensitive material).
The image input/output characteristic may be anything which decides exposure conditions when calibration is carries out, such as an look up table (a correction table), a parameter for obtaining the look up table, an amount of exposure obtained by computation, a parameter for representing an amount of change or an amount of correction from a predetermined value, or the like.
As a result, if the photosensitive material type is changed, from the photosensitive material characteristic information stored by the photosensitive material characteristic storage means, by the photosensitive material characteristic reading means characteristic information for the corresponding photosensitive material type is obtained, and then a correction value for calibration is computed so as to carry out the calibration. If an environmental condition such as temperature changes, environmental information such as the temperature at the time of printing is obtained by the environmental information obtaining means. A correction value for calibration is computed, and calibration is carried out. Therefore, the work of printing a calibration test pattern and measuring the density thereof or the like is no longer needed, and work efficiency can be improved. At the same time, waste of photosensitive material can be eliminated.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an image recording apparatus wherein said estimated calibration means carries out calibration using actual calibration information based on the read pattern data as previous calibration information.
According to a second aspect of the invention, the estimated calibration means does not carry out calibration using calibration information for calibration by the estimated calibration means (hereinafter, “estimated calibration”) which may include estimated error as previous calibration information. The estimated calibration means carries out calibration by outputting a test pattern for calibration and using calibration information for actual calibration based on the read pattern data as previous calibration information. Therefore, more accurate estimated calibration can be carried out.
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided an image recording apparatus wherein an actual calibration information based on the read pattern data is an actual calibration information based on the last read pattern data.
According to a third aspect of the invention, calibration information by the last actual calibration among previous actual calibration is used for estimated calibration by the estimated calibration means Therefore, further more accurate estimated calibration can be carried out.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided an image recording apparatus according to the first aspect further comprising an identification means for identifying the type of the photosensitive material, wherein the characteristic of the photosensitive material is read from the photosensitive material characteristic storage means on the basis of the type of the photosensitive material identified by the identification means.
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the phot

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