Patent ID: 7289248
Filing Date: 2007-10-30
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. An image recording apparatus, comprising: a recording head including recording elements which record an image onto a recording medium; an abnormal recording element specification device which specifies an abnormal recording element from the recording elements of the recording head; a correction dot pattern storage device which stores a correction dot pattern that is a fixed pattern representing a dot arrangement for a pixel corresponding to the abnormal recording element and a pixel peripheral to the pixel corresponding to the abnormal recording element; a correction dot pattern setting device which, in accordance with a position of the abnormal recording element specified by the abnormal recording element specification device, sets the correction dot pattern stored in the correction dot pattern storage device as a set correction dot pattern for a region of the pixel corresponding to the abnormal recording element and the pixel peripheral to the pixel corresponding to the abnormal recording element; an image processing device which generates dot data by converting input image data representing the image into the dot data by performing quantization processing on the input image data while maintaining an average of input values in the input image data, wherein when the image processing device performs the quantization processing on a prescribed region including the pixel corresponding to the abnormal recording element and the pixel peripheral to the pixel corresponding to the abnormal recording element, the image processing device determines an on/off status of each of dots in the prescribed region by using the set correction dot pattern set by the correction dot pattern setting device; and a drive device which drives the recording elements according to the dot data generated by the image processing device.