Method of Recording an Optional Number of Color Separation Images in an Optional Order and in Optional Positions on a Recording Medium

This invention relates to a method of utilizing unused area of a film (herein, the word "unused" means both a condition wherein parts of a photosensitive film recorded with images are not used for some reasons and a condition wherein parts of a photosensitive film having no recorded image thereon are not used) for recording in order to make full use of the film in a image reproducing system such as a color scanner which obtains color images from scanning of an original color picture.

Conventionally, a photomechanical camera is used for separating color components of an original color picture.

Recently, in response to a need for higher resolving ability and color reproducing certainty, an image reproducing system called a color scanner has been put to practical use. As the size of the film is standardized, sometimes unused area is produced depending on desired size of reproduced images.

If the width of the unused area is within a few centimeters, the film can be considered to be effectively used. But in actual situations, there remain rather broad unused areas on a film, and only a very limited part of the unused area is utilized. To overcome this problem the simultaneous color separation procedure, using a plurality of original pictures for recording a film, can be considered. However, this method is not practical because the color tone, density and magnification factor of each original picture must be approximately unified, which requires limited combinations of original pictures.

As a solution for the above problem, a color scanner capable of simultaneously recording on a film a set of color separation images is put into practice and disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication (Kokoku) No. 52-18601. However even the described color scanner has a defect with respect to effective use of a film as follows. Even when respective four color components Y, M, C, and K of original pictures H and I, and the yellow color separation image (A'.sub.Y) of the original picture A are required to be produced on a film, said color sanner cannot perform a recording operation in which the other color separation images A.sub.M, A.sub.C, and A.sub.K are eliminated as shown in hatched area of FIG. 1(a). Still further, hatched areas shown in FIG. 1(c), (e), and (g) are not utilized in an actual process of recording films.

This invention is thus made to overcome the aforesaid defects by providing an approach to recording a film with an optional number of color separation images which are optionally distributed in order and in positions in one scanning cycle controlled by section pulses which designate proper scanning timings.

Moreover, by using said section pulses, some test pattern signals can be output.

The above and other objects and features of this invention can be appreciated more fully from the following detailed description when read with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of films in which a manner of using films according to the present invention is compared to a conventional method of using films;

FIG. 2 is a timing chart of the principle of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram for a circuit for generating section pulses;

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram for a circuit for selecting the section pulses;

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram for a circuit for synthesizing picture signals to be output;

FIG. 6 is a test pattern generator; and

FIG. 7 is a timing chart corresponding to an embodiment of this invention.

The following is an explanation of the principle of this invention based on the drawings. FIG. 2 is a timing chart in recording the image shown in FIG. 1(b).

FIG. 1(b) shows color separation images B'.sub.Y, C'.sub.M, and C'.sub.C distributed in place of the color separation images A.sub.M, A.sub.C, and A.sub.K, shown in FIG. 1(a), when only the color separation image A'.sub.Y of the original picture A is needed and the color separation images A.sub.M, A.sub.C, and A.sub.K are not necessary.

At first, a film is placed on a recording drum of a scanner (not shown in the drawings).

A rotary encoder is coaxially connected to the recording drum, and the rotary encoder generates one pulse and N time pulses for each revolution of the recording drum as shown in FIG. 2(a).

Color separation signals Y, M, C, and K obtained in parallel from an input device of a color scanner simultaneously are stored into a memory as shown in FIG. 2(b). The thus stored color separation signals Y, M, C, and K are then read as shown in FIG. 2(d) in response to section pulses Y.sub.g, M.sub.g, C.sub.g, and K.sub.g. The latter are gate signals obtained from sectioning N time pulses--that is, from choosing time periods represented by sections, or given numbers of pulses, of a pulse sequence N having a particular pulse repetition frequency, as shown in FIG. 2(c). Alternatively, the gate signals may be obtained from sectioning N.sub.0 pulses. These pulses are provided at a frequency which is a multiple of the frequency of the N time pulses. As a result, a seriated image signal I consisting of color separation signals of original pictures such as H and I are produced. By using such signals, Area 1 (H.sub.Y, H.sub.M, H.sub.C, H.sub.K) and Area 2 (I.sub.Y, I.sub.M, I.sub.C, I.sub.K) are recorded on a photosensitive film.

A seriated image signal II shown in FIG. 2(e) means the output timing for reproducing the image A'.sub.Y shown as Area 4 in FIG. 1(b) is controlled only by the timing of gate signal Y.sub.g. Similarly, only the gate signal M.sub.g provides timing for reading the data of image B'.sub.Y to make a seriated signal III, and the gate signals C.sub.g and K.sub.g provide timing for reading the data of images C'.sub.M and C'.sub.C respectively to make a seriated signal IV shown in FIG. 2(e).

In order to record Area 4 of FIG. 1(b) totally, three scans are necessary for each of original pictures A, B, and C as mentioned above.

A conventional method of recording said color separation films A'.sub.Y, B'.sub.Y, C'.sub.M, and C'.sub.C also requires three scans. Comparing the two methods to each other, a significant difference is that the conventional recording method wastes color separation films A'.sub.M, A'.sub.C, A'.sub.K, B'.sub.M, B'.sub.C, B'.sub.K, C'.sub.Y, and C'.sub.K while on the contrary the present invention does not waste any part of a film.

This invention is further capable of recording images of several scales on a film as shown in FIGS. 1(d), (f), (h) as well as images of a uniform scale as shown in FIG. 1(b), when of course the gate signals Y.sub.g, M.sub.g, C.sub.g, and K.sub.g must be reformed to have suitable timing and duration for reproducing the color separation images. For example, FIG. 7(a) shows a timing chart of gate signals for recording Area 7 of FIG. 1(f), and FIG. 3 shows an example of a circuit which generates gate signals 11 to 14 and gate signals 21 to 24.

Referring to FIG. 3, the N time pulse signal output from the encoder is converted into an N.sub.0 time pulse signal which has higher frequency through a PLL circuit 31. A counter 32 counts the N.sub.0 time pulses, and after completing one rotation (N times) the one time pulse signal is input to a reset terminal of the counter 32 to re-count the N.sub.0 time pulses. A start number setting circuit 33 sets up a counting number X.sub.0 for a gate signal (11) as shown in FIG. 7 for recording Y(yellow) color image. Ordinarily, X.sub.0 is set to "0", for example as shown in FIG. 1(f). If color separation images M.sub.y, M.sub.m, M.sub.c, and M.sub.k (the hatched area of the Area 3 of FIG. 1(e) are desired to be recorded in the blank below A'.sub.y, the counting number X.sub.0 is set to N.sub.0 /4. This number signal is input to a comparator 44 in order to be compared to an output x from the counter 32. When X.sub.0 <x, an output signal from the comparator 44 becomes "H" to be an input to an AND-gate 53. The number signal of the starting count setting circuit 33 is also input to an adder 36 (mentioned later). The signal duration setting circuit 34 sets up a counting number x.sub.1 corresponding to a desired duration for the first set of gate signals and outputs the value into the adders 36 to 39. Output signals from the adders 36 to 38 are respectively input to the adders 37 to 39 successively, so that adders 36 to 39 perform the calculations X.sub.0 +x.sub.1 =X.sub.1, X.sub.1 +x.sub.1 =X.sub.2, X.sub.2 +x.sub.1 =X.sub.3, and X.sub.3 +x.sub.1 =X.sub.4 respectively and input the calculated results into the respective comparators 45 to 48. The comparator 45 compares said calculated value X.sub.1 to the output value x from the counter 32 and when X.sub.1 >x, a "H" (high) signal is output from the smaller-than signal terminal of the comparator 45 to the AND-gate 53, as a result when X.sub.0 <x<X.sub.1, the gate signal 11 is output from the AND-gate 53. Similarly, when X.sub.1 <x<X.sub.2 the gate signal 12 is output from the AND-gate 54, when X.sub.2 <x<X.sub.3 the gate signal 13 is output from the AND-gate 55, and when X.sub.3 <x<X.sub.4 the gate signal 14 is output from the AND-gate 56.

As in the above-mentioned system, a signal duration setting circuit 35 is provided for the second set of gate signals, while adders 40 to 43, comparators 49 to 52 and AND-gates 57 to 60 are provided for outputting the gate signals 21 to 24 from the respective AND-gates 57 to 60. In this portion of the circuit, the output of the adder 39 corresponds to the output of said starting count setting circuit 33 in the previously described portion. However, under some circumstances it is possible that some of the gate signals 11-14 or 21-24 are not generated. Particularly, the counter 32 is limited to counts of N.sub.0 or less. When the numbers X.sub.0, x.sub.1 or X.sub.01 are sufficiently large, the outputs of some of adders 36-43 may exceed N.sub.0 and the results of comparisons by comparators 44-52 may be erroneous, since the count in counter 32 cannot reach te threshold numbers X.sub.04, X.sub.03, X.sub.02, etc. Thus, gate signals 24, 23, 22, etc. would not be generated. Moreover, when X.sub.0 =0, x.sub.1 =N.sub.0 /4, the gate signals 11-14 correspond to Y.sub.g, M.sub.g, C.sub.g and K.sub.g as shown in FIG. 2 respectively, and it is impossible for gate signals 21-24 to be generated.

FIG. 4 shows a selector which has a function of selecting an appropriate gate signal from out of the gate signals 11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 22, 23, and 24 according to desired color separation images and reproducing order of the color separation images. The selector further functions to distribute the selected gate signals to a halftone dot generator 71, to a memory 72 and to a test pattern generator 73 (mentioned later).

FIG. 4 shows a selector for the Y color. However, the same structure can be applied to the other color separation images M, C, K.

In other words, in FIG. 4 the gate signals 11 to 14 are input to a switch SW.sub.Y1, and the signals to be distributed are selected as follows. The gate signals are distributed as a gate signal Y.sub.M to the memory 72 directly and to the halftone dot generator 71 as a gate signal Y.sub.D via OR-gate 61.

Output signals from a switch SW.sub.Y2, which selects signals from gate signals 21 to 24, are similarly distributed to a test pattern generator 73 directly as a gate signal Y.sub.T and to the halftone dot generator 71 via the OR-gate 61 as a gate signal Y.sub.D. If the Y color image is not required to be output in the aforesaid composition, respective 0 terminals of the switches SW.sub.Y1, SW.sub.Y2 are selected. Ordinarily terminal 1 of the switch SW.sub.Y1 is selected to output the gate signal 11 for a Y color image, terminal 2 of the switch SW.sub.M1 is selected to output the gate signal 12 for an M color image, terminal 3 of the switch SW.sub.C1 is selected to output the gate signal 13 for a C color image, and terminal 4 of the switch SW.sub.K1 is selected to output the gate signal 14 for a K color image.

In this case (X.sub.0 =(0) , x.sub.1 =N/4), color separation images shown as Areas 1 and 2 of FIG. 1(a) are obtained.

A recorded image shown in Part II of Area 4 of FIG. 1(b) can be obtained by selecting terminal 1 of the switch SW.sub.Y1 and respective terminals 0 of the switches SW.sub.M1, SW.sub.C1, and SW.sub.K1. Part III of Area 4 of FIG. 1(b) can be obtained by selecting terminal 2 of the switch SW.sub.Y1, and respective terminals 0 of the switches SW.sub.M1, SW.sub.C1, and SW.sub.K1. Part IV of Area 4 of FIG. 1(b) can be obtained by selecting terminal 0 of the switch SW.sub.Y1, terminal 3 of the switch SW.sub.M1, terminal 4 of the switch SW.sub.C1 and terminal 0 of the switch SW.sub.K1. In said manner, the gate signals 11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 22, 23, and 24 are output through the switches SW.sub.Y1, SW.sub.Y2, SW.sub.M1, SW.sub.M2, SW.sub.C1, SW.sub.C2, SW.sub.K1, and SW.sub.K2 (the latter six switches are not shown in the drawings) to the halftone dot generator 71, to the memory 72, and to the test pattern generator 73 as gate signals Y.sub.D, Y.sub.M, Y.sub.T, M.sub.D, M.sub.M, M.sub.T, C.sub.D, C.sub.M, C.sub.T, K.sub.D, K.sub.M, and K.sub.T.

The halftone dot generator 71 shown in FIG. 5 generates a signal which can be used for forming dots on a full surface of a film by using N.sub.0 time pulses and one time pulse. Dots for each color image are made by using a pulse which has a certain duration upon command of analog gate signals S.sub.D for forming dots, which signals S.sub.D are input to a comparator 77. The comparator 77 compares the signal S.sub.D to an image analog signal S.sub.G and outputs a high-low signal which becomes "H" (high) when the signal S.sub.D is smaller.

The output signal of comparator 77 is input to a laser beam switch 79 via an AND-gate 78 as an image signal to turn on or off the switch 79.

Finally, several laser beams which are modulated by the image analog signal record the halftone dots on a film. The analog signal S.sub.M, which is a seriated signal composed of image signals Y, M, C, and K stored in the memory 72 as shown in FIG. 2(e) I II III and IV, is output at command of the signals Y.sub.M, M.sub.M, C.sub.M, K.sub.M, coming from the selector shown in FIG. 4. When more than one of the gate signals 11, 12, 13, and 14 exist(s), an OR-gate 74 outputs a high ("H") signal which turns on an analog switch 76 to pass the analog signal S.sub.M from the memory 72 to comparator 77.

A test pattern generator 73 can output an analog signal S.sub.T formed from a digital signal produced from a saw-tooth wave, gradated wave, and a constant signal at command of the N time pulse and the gate signals Y.sub.T, M.sub.T, C.sub.T, K.sub.T, by using the counter and other circuit components through digital-analog conversion. When gate signals 11 to 14 do not exist, the output signal of the OR-gate 74 becomes "L" (low) to pass the analog signal S.sub.T through the analog switch 76 to the comparator 77.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the test pattern generator 73. In the embodiment, a saw-tooth wave, a gradated wave, and a constant signal are provided as test pattern signals by a switch 92 wherein 92a, 92b, and 92c correspond to above-mentioned waves respectively.

In FIG. 3, as the comparators 44 to 52 can't judge equality, each of the gate signals 21, 22, 23, and 24 are all "L" (low) when the counted numbers in the counter 32 are X.sub.01, X.sub.02, X.sub.03, or X.sub.04 respectively. These gate signals 21, 22, 23, and 24 become gate signal(s) Y.sub.T (M.sub.T, C.sub.T, K.sub.T being not shown in the drawings) through the switch(es) SW.sub.Y2, (SW.sub.M2, SW.sub.C2, SW.sub.K2 being not shown in the drawings) to be input to an OR-gate 82 shown in FIG. 6. A low output signal from the OR-gate makes the output of an inverter 83 "H" (high) which resets counters 84, 85, and 86. That is, the counters 84, 85, and 86 are reset to "0" when the counted numbers are X.sub.01, X.sub.02, X.sub.03, or X.sub.04.

When the N time pulse is input to an AND-gate 81, and when at least one of the gate signals Y.sub.T, M.sub.T, C.sub.T, or K.sub.T is "H", the N time pulse is output from the AND-gate 81 to a counter 84. If a frequency of the N time pulse is too high, it must be reduced to N/n (where n is a positive integer) to be input to the counters 85, and 86. If the frequency of the N time pulse is too low, an N.sub.0 pulse can be input to the counters 85, 86. When a switch 92b for the gradated signals is turned on, signals A.sub.4, A.sub.5, A.sub.6, and A.sub.7 from the counter 86 are input via an OR-gate 88 and via an AND-gate 90 to a digital/analog converter 91 which outputs an analog signal S.sub.T.

In this example, the 4 bit signal 21 is selected in the switch SW.sub.Y2, and is input as a gate signal Y.sub.T to the digital/analog converter 91.

When the gate signal 21 is selected in the switch SW.sub.Y2, it is input as a gate signal Y.sub.T to the digital/analog converter 91 to output a test pattern signal Y. Similarly, test pattern signals M, C, K can be obtained by using respective gate signals 22, 23, 24.

When a switch 92a for the saw-tooth signal of the selector 92 is turned on, signals A.sub.0 to A.sub.7 from the counters 85, 86 are input to the digital/analog converter 91 to output an analog signal S.sub.T having 256 gradations, which can be regarded as a saw-tooth signal.

When a switch 92c of the selector 92 is turned on for the constant signal and optional ones of eight switches of a level selector 93 are selected, a constant signal corresponding to the selected switches is output from the digital/analog converter 91 as an analog signal S.sub.T. Though this analog signal S.sub.T is generated independently of the gate signals 21, 22, 23, 24 and the output signals of the counters 85, 86, the signal is controlled by the analog switch 76 and the AND-gate 78 and is provided as an input to the laser beam controller 79 only when the gate signals Y.sub.T, M.sub.T, C.sub.T, K.sub.T are selected.

When X.sub.0, x.sub.1 =0 and x.sub.01<N.sub.0 /4 in FIG. 3, the saw-tooth signal, the gradated signal, the constant signal are input to the laser beam controller 79 as shown in FIG. 7(b).

The AND-gate 78 is controlled by the output signal of the OR-gate 75, because the AND-gate 78 is necessary only to output the image signals A'.sub.Y, B'.sub.Y, C'.sub.M, and C'.sub.C as shown at II, III, and IV in FIG. 2(e), which eventually halt the other signals in order to provide unexposed areas.

Area 7 of FIG. 1(f) corresponds to the gate signals 11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 22, 23, and 24. Among them, the gate signals 21 to 24 are input to the test pattern generator 73 and output as the analog signal S.sub.T via the analog switch 76 to the comparator 77. As a result, test pattern signals Y, M, C, and K are output to produce a pattern as in the Area 7 of FIG. 1(f), which shows an advantageous effect of the invention.

As the halftone dot generator 71, the memory 72, the test pattern generator 73, and the halftone dot producer using laser beam are not the main objects of this invention, no explanation thereof is provided herein.

The aforesaid is an embodiment of this invention, the method of this invention can be applied to a multiple exposing system.

As is mentioned above, the effect of this invention is to effectively use a whole film especially to utilize unused area by being recorded with desired images or test patterns.