Patent Publication Number: US-2015062602-A1

Title: Image display device, recording apparatus, program and display method

Description:
The present application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-178666 filed on Aug. 29, 2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     Embodiments of the present invention relate to an image display device, a recording apparatus, a program, and a display method. 
     2. Related Art 
     Image display devices that display information relating to an image exist and have been used. For example, JP-A-2007-288773 and JP-A-2007-288772 disclose techniques of converting a color of a region of a recording image whose color is the same as a background color. 
     JP-A-8-211860 discloses a technique of, when a display color of an image or of a background color is changed, determining whether or not the display color of the image and the background color are the same or the same type and validating the change only when they are not the same or the same type. 
     JP-A-2005-41146 discloses a technique of reading a T-shirt set on a platen with a charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor and displaying it. 
     However, there is a problem in an image display device capable of displaying a preview image of a recording image that is to be recorded on a recording medium by a recording apparatus. In some cases, a user cannot distinguish a portion displayed with a color (background color) of a background image and a portion displayed with a color set to the recording image on a portion on which the recording image is overlapped with the background image on the preview image when viewing the preview image. 
     JP-A-2007-288773 and JP-A-2007-288772 do not describe or indicate a relation between the color of the recording image and the color of the background image on the preview image. 
     JP-A-8-211860 discloses the technique of only determining whether the change is valid or invalid when the display color of the image or the background color is changed. That is, JP-A-8-211860 does not disclose the technique of distinguishing whether the color of the preview image is the color of the background image or the color set to the recording image. 
     The technique disclosed in JP-A-2005-41146 does not have a configuration capable of changing the color of the background image on the preview image. That is, JP-A-2005-41146 does not disclose the technique of distinguishing whether the color of the preview image is the color of the background image on the preview image or the color set to the recording image. 
     SUMMARY 
     An advantage of some embodiments of the invention is to make it possible to distinguish, on a preview image of a recording image, whether a color of the preview image displayed on a display portion is a color of a background image on the preview image or a color set to the recording image. Embodiments enable the preview image to be displayed such that the background image can be distinguished from the recording image. 
     In one example, in order to achieve at least the above-mentioned object, an image display device may include a display portion that displays a preview image of a recording image. In the image display device, when data of the recording image includes transparency information in addition to color information, the display portion displays the preview image of the recording image thereon while holding the transparency information. 
     An existing general recording target medium is white in many cases and a color of the background image on the preview image of the recording image may also be white. Due to this, on the preview image of the recording image, one cannot difficult to distinguish whether a color of, in particular, a light-colored portion on the preview image is a color obtained by transmitting the color of the background image or a color set to the recording image without transmitting the color of the background image in some cases. 
     According to one embodiment of the invention, the preview image of the recording image is displayed on the display portion while holding the transparency information. Therefore, if the color of the background image on the preview image is changed, the color of the portion that transmits the color of the background image is also changed with the change of the color of the background image on the preview image. On the other hand, the color of the portion that is set to the recording image without transmitting the color of the background image is not changed even if the color of the background image on the preview image is changed. Based on this, on the preview image of the recording image, one can distinguish whether the color of the preview image is the color of the background image on the preview image or the color set to the recording image. 
     The expression “when data of the recording image includes transparency information in addition to color information” includes the case where the data includes transparency information such as a transmittance parameter in addition to information of RGB values as general color information and the like. Data having a transmittance of 0 may be included as long as the data has the transparency information. When the data has a transmittance of 0, it indicates that the data is non-transparent. 
     The expression “while holding the transparency information” indicates that “when data of the recording image includes transparency information, the transparency information is not converted into color information and is not deleted”. 
     In the image display device according to one embodiment of the invention, the image display device may include a receiver which receives a change of a color of a background image on the preview image. 
     According to one embodiment of the invention, the image display device includes the receiver which receives change of the color of the background image on the preview image. Therefore, the color of the background image on the preview image can be changed. Accordingly, on the preview image of the recording image, whether the color of the preview image is the color of the background image on the preview image or the color set to the recording image can be distinguished. In other words, the background image can be distinguished from the recording image in the preview image. 
     In the image display device, the image display device may include a changing portion that changes the color of the background image on the preview image automatically in accordance with a recording setting of the recording image, and the receiver receives a change of the color of the background image on the preview image by the changing portion. 
     The expression “recording setting of the recording image” corresponds to what is called a recording mode. Examples thereof include a mode in which recording is performed using white ink only, a mode in which recording is performed using white ink and color inks, and a mode in which recording is performed using any one color of color inks. It should be noted that the recording setting can be performed using a user interface or the like by a user. 
     According to one embodiment of the invention, the image display device may include the changing portion which changes the color of the background image on the preview image automatically in accordance with the recording setting of the recording image, and the receiver may receive the change of the color of the background image on the preview image by or from the changing portion. Therefore, on the preview image of the recording image, the change of the color of the background image on the preview image for distinguishing whether the color of the preview image is the color of the background image on the preview image or the color set to the recording image can be made automatically. 
     In the image display device according to one embodiment of the invention, the display portion may be capable of displaying a shape of a recording target medium as the background image on the preview image. 
     According to one embodiment of the invention, the display portion may be capable of displaying the shape of the recording target medium as the background image on the preview image. This enables the user to imagine a state where the recording image has been recorded on the recording target medium more accurately before recording the recording image on the recording target medium. 
     In the image display device according to one embodiment of the invention, the display portion may be capable of displaying a recording position of the recording image on the recording target medium on the preview image. 
     According to one embodiment of the invention, the display portion may be capable of displaying the recording position of the recording image on the recording target medium on the preview image. This enables the user to imagine the state where the recording image has been recorded on the recording target medium more accurately before the recording image is recorded on the recording target medium. 
     A recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention may include the image display device and a recording head that records the recording image on a recording target medium. 
     The recording apparatus displays the preview image of the recording image on the display portion of the image display apparatus while holding the transparency information. Accordingly, on the preview image of the recording image, whether the color of the preview image is the color of the background image on the preview image or the color set to the recording image can be distinguished. 
     A computer program product according to one embodiment of the invention causes a display portion to display a preview image of a recording image. In the program, when data of the recording image includes transparency information in addition to color information, the display portion is made to display the preview image of the recording image while holding the transparency information. 
     The computer program product may cause the display portion to display the preview image of the recording image while holding the transparency information. Accordingly, on the preview image of the recording image, whether the color of the preview image is the color of the background image on the preview image or the color set to the recording image can be distinguished. 
     A display method according to one embodiment of the invention may cause a display portion to display a preview image of a recording image. In the display method, when data of the recording image includes transparency information in addition to color information, the display portion is made to display the preview image of the recording image while holding the transparency information. 
     The display method may cause the display portion to display the preview image of the recording image while holding the transparency information. Accordingly, on the preview image of the recording image, whether the color of the preview image is the color of the background image on the preview image or the color set to the recording image can be distinguished. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements. 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of a recording apparatus. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating the recording apparatus. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view for explaining the configuration of a recording image on a preview image that is displayed on a display portion. 
         FIG. 4  is a view illustrating the preview image that is displayed on the display portion. 
         FIG. 5  is a view illustrating the preview image that is displayed on the display portion. 
         FIG. 6  is a view illustrating the preview image that is displayed on the display portion. 
         FIG. 7  is a view illustrating a specification screen of a background image on the preview image that is displayed on the display portion. 
         FIG. 8  is another example of a view illustrating a preview image that is displayed on a display portion. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, a display device and a recording apparatus according to embodiments of the invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     Although, description is made in the following embodiments using a touch panel provided on a recording apparatus as an image display device, the image display device is not limited to the configuration. The image display device is not limited to the touch panel and is not limited to the image display device provided on the recording apparatus. For example, a personal computer (PC) as a separate body from the recording apparatus can be used as the image display device and the configuration of the image display device is not particularly limited. For example, the image display device may have a configuration including a touch panel as a display portion, a configuration including a monitor as the display portion and a user interface, and the like. 
     Although description is made in the following embodiment, using an ink jet recording apparatus that discharges ink from a recording head and performs recording as the recording apparatus, embodiments of the invention are not limited to the ink jet recording apparatus. For example, embodiments of the invention may also include a recording apparatus of a transfer system, and the like. 
     Furthermore, the recording apparatus may have a configuration in which a supporting portion (medium supporting portion) of a recording target medium is moved with respect to the recording head. The recording apparatus may also include a recording apparatus having a configuration in which the recording head is moved with respect to the medium supporting portion for recording without moving the medium supporting portion. In addition, the recording apparatus may include a recording apparatus having a configuration in which both the recording head and the medium supporting portion are moved. 
     In any of the following embodiments, description is made using, as an example of the recording target medium, a fabric such as a T-shirt. However, the recording target medium is not limited to the T-shirt and the fabric. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of a recording apparatus 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a recording apparatus  1  may include a medium supporting portion  4 . A transportation portion  3  transports a recording target medium by moving the medium supporting portion  4  in a transportation direction A. 
     An apparatus main body  2  includes a recording head  6 . The recording apparatus  1  discharges ink onto the recording target medium from an ink discharge surface F of the recording head  6  while making the recording head  6  reciprocate in a scanning direction B intersecting with the transportation direction A so as to form a desired image. The recording head  6  may be held or accommodated in a carriage  5  that is made to reciprocate. 
     The recording apparatus  1  can perform recording with white ink for forming a foundation layer and color inks (e.g., black ink, cyan ink, magenta ink, yellow ink) for forming an image. 
     However, the recording apparatus is not limited to this configuration. For example, metallic ink can be used as the ink for forming the foundation layer and inks of other colors can be used as the inks for forming the image. 
     Furthermore, the recording apparatus  1  in one embodiment may include a touch panel  19 . The touch panel  19  may serve as a display portion that displays a preview image of a recording image and may serve as an image display device. 
     Next, an example electric configuration of the recording apparatus  1  is described. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating an example of the recording apparatus  1 . The recording apparatus  1  may include a controller  10 . 
     The controller  10  may be provided with a central processing unit (CPU)  7  that controls the recording apparatus  1  overall or that controls the overall operations of the recording apparatus  1 . The CPU  7  may be connected to a read-only memory (ROM)  9 , a random access memory (RAM)  11 , and an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)  12  through a system bus  8 . The ROM  9  may store therein various control programs, maintenance sequences, and the like that are executed by the CPU  7 . The RAM  11  may store therein data temporarily. The EEPROM  12  is a non-volatile memory. 
     The CPU  7  is connected to a head driving portion  13  for driving the recording head  6  through the system bus  8 . 
     The CPU  7  is connected to a motor driving portion  16  through the system bus  8 . The motor driving portion  16  drives a carriage motor  14  for moving the carriage  5 . The motor driving portion  16  also drives a transportation motor  15  provided on the transportation portion  3  for transporting the recording target medium. 
     Moreover, the CPU  7  is connected to an input/output portion  18  for inputting recording data or the like from an external apparatus such as a PC  17  through the system bus  8 , and so on. The input/output portion  18  may also be connected to the touch panel  19 . External storage devices such as a universal serial bus (USB) memory can be connected to the input/output portion  18 . The recording apparatus  1  can read image data that is stored in an external storage device connected to the input/output portion  18  and execute recording without using the PC  17 . That is, the recording apparatus  1  can execute what is called direct printing. 
     The recording apparatus  1  may include the touch panel  19  as the display portion that displays a preview image of a recording image. When data of the recording image includes transparency information in addition to color information, the preview image of the recording image can be displayed on the touch panel  19  while holding the transparency information. 
     On the other hand, the PC  17  in one embodiment includes a monitor (not illustrated) as the display portion that displays the preview image of the recording image and a user interface (not illustrated). When data of the recording image has transparency information in addition to color information, the preview image of the recording image can be displayed on the monitor while holding the transparency information. Therefore, the PC  17  in one embodiment may also correspond to the image display device. 
     The expression “when data of the recording image has transparency information in addition to color information” includes the case where the data includes transparency information such as a transmittance parameter in addition to information of RGB values as general color information. Data having a transmittance of 0 may be included as long as the data has the transparency information. 
     The expression “while holding the transparency information” indicates that “when the data of the recording image includes transparency information, the transparency information is not converted into color information and is not deleted”. In one embodiment, the preview image is displayed on at least one of the touch panel  19  and the monitor of the PC  17  while holding the transparency information. Therefore, the controller  10  stores the data of the recording image in the RAM  11  without converting the transparency information of the data into color information and without deleting the transparency information. 
     An existing general recording target medium may be white in many cases and a color of the background image on the preview image of the recording image may also be white. Therefore, on the preview image of the recording image, whether a color of a light-colored portion on the preview image is a color obtained by transmitting the color of the background image or a color set to the recording image without transmitting the color of the background image cannot be distinguished in some cases. In other words, it is difficult to determine whether a light-colored portion on the preview image is the color of the background image or the color set to the recording image in some cases. 
     Each of the recording apparatus  1  and the PC  17  may display the preview image of the recording image on the display portion while holding the transparency information. Therefore, for example, if the color of the background image on the preview image is changed, the color of the portion that transmits the color of the background image is also changed with the change of the color of the background image on the preview image. On the other hand, the color of the portion that is set to the recording image without transmitting the color of the background image is not changed even if the color of the background image on the preview image is changed. 
     Based on this, the portion displayed with the color of the background image on the preview image and the portion displayed with the color set to the recording image can be distinguished from each other on the preview image of the recording image. 
     The ROM  9  may store therein information of the shapes and the like of the recording target media that can be used by the recording apparatus  1 . Furthermore, the EEPROM  12  may store therein new and additional shapes and the like of the recording target medium that can be used by the recording apparatus  1 . 
     The ROM  9  may store therein a plurality of colors of the background image on the preview image of the recording image that can be displayed by the touch panel  19  and the PC  17 . Furthermore, the EEPROM  12  may store therein new and additional colors of the background image on the preview image of the recording image that can be displayed by the touch panel  19  and the PC  17 . 
     The recording apparatus  1  can change the color of the background image on the preview image of the recording image with the controller  10  in accordance with information input by a user from at least one of the touch panel  19  and the PC  17 . That is to say, the controller  10  may function as a receiver that receives a change of the color of the background image on the preview image of the recording image. 
     Therefore, on the preview image of the recording image, whether the color of the preview image is the color of the background image on the preview image or the color set to the recording image can be distinguished. 
     A computer program product that causes the display portion to display the preview image of the recording image as a program according to embodiments of the invention may be used instead of the image display device. In the program, when data of the recording image includes transparency information in addition to color information, the display portion is made to display the preview image of the recording image while holding the transparency information. 
     With the program, on the preview image of the recording image, whether the color of the preview image is the color of the background image on the preview image or the color set to the recording image can be distinguished as in the recording apparatus  1  in one embodiment. 
     The program may encompass contents described in the specification as the characteristics of the recording apparatus  1  in one embodiment. 
     Furthermore, a display method that causes the display portion to display the preview image of the recording image may be performed. In the display method, when data of the recording image includes transparency information in addition to color information, the display portion is made to display the preview image of the recording image while holding the transparency information. 
     By performing the display method, it can be distinguished whether the color of the preview image is the color of the background image on the preview image or the color set to the recording image on the preview image of the recording image. 
     The display method may encompass the contents described in the specification as the characteristics of the recording apparatus  1  in one embodiment. 
     The recording apparatus  1  in one embodiment can change the color of the background image on the preview image of the recording image under control using the controller  10  in accordance with information input by a user from the touch panel  19  and the PC  17 . 
     However, the controller  10  may function as a changing portion that changes the color of the background image on the preview image automatically in accordance with a recording setting of the recording image. For example, the controller may change the color thereof between black and white. The color automatically changed may received as the color of the background image on the preview image. 
     The expression “recording setting of the recording image” corresponds to a what is called a recording mode. Examples thereof include a mode in which recording is performed using white ink only, a mode in which recording is performed using white ink and color inks, and a mode in which recording is performed using any one color of color inks when the expression is used for the recording apparatus that performs recording using the white ink for foundation and the color inks for image formation. For example, when recording is performed in the mode in which recording is performed using the white ink only, the recording image is difficult to recognize if the color of the background image is set to white. For coping with this, the color of the background image may be changed to black automatically in such a case. It should be noted that the recording setting can be performed using the user interface or the like by a user. 
     With this configuration, on the preview image of the recording image, the change of the color of the background image on the preview image for distinguishing whether the color of the preview image is the color of the background image on the preview image or the color set to the recording image can be made automatically. 
     Next, the preview image that is displayed on each of the touch panel  19  and the monitor of the PC  17  as the display portions is described in detail. In the following description, description is made using the touch panel  19  of the recording apparatus  1  as the display device. However, the same holds true for the monitor of the PC  17 . 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded view for explaining the configuration of the recording image on the preview image that is displayed on the display portion, and  FIG. 4  to  FIG. 6  are views illustrating the preview image that is displayed on the display portion. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , a recording image on a preview image  20  that is displayed on the touch panel  19  is constituted by three layers. The preview image  20  may include a recording image layer  21 , a background image layer  22 , and a background color layer  23 . The recording image layer  21  constitutes images  24   a ,  24   b , and  24   c  as images that are recorded on the recording target medium. The background image layer  22  constitutes a background image  25  as the recording target medium (e.g., T-shirt). The background color layer  23  constitutes a color (background color) of the recording target medium. 
     The images  24   a ,  24   b , and  24   c  are circular recording images having different colors with respect to each other in one example. 
       FIG. 4  is a view illustrating a state where the recording image layer  21 , the background image layer  22 , and the background color layer  23  as illustrated in  FIG. 3  are displayed in an overlapped manner. The preview image  20  on the touch panel  19  is displayed in this manner. 
     On the preview image  20  as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the color of the recording target medium as the color of the background color layer  23  is different from any of the colors of the images  24   a ,  24   b , and  24   c . Therefore, any of the images  24   a ,  24   b , and  24   c  are observed clearly. 
     However, when the color of the recording target medium as the color of the background color layer  23  is the same or the same type as any of the colors of the images  24   a ,  24   b , and  24   c , the image of which color is the same or the same type as the color of the background color layer  23  is not observed clearly. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates the preview image  20  when the color of the background color layer  23  and the color of the image  24   c  are the same. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the color of the image  24   c  is the same as the color of the background color layer  23 . Thus, the image  24   c  is not observed clearly. 
     Meanwhile, when data of the recording image has transparency information in addition to color information, the recording apparatus  1  can display the preview image  20  of the recording image on the touch panel  19  while holding the transparency information. In the recording apparatus  1 , whether the image  24   c  corresponds to a portion that transmits the color of the background image  25  or a portion having the set color without transmitting the color of the background image  25  can be determined easily by changing the color of the background image  25 . 
     To be specific, when the color of the background color layer  23  on the preview image  20  as illustrated in  FIG. 5  is changed to another color, if the preview image  20  is displayed as illustrated in  FIG. 4  (the color of the image  24   c  is kept), it is found that the image  24   c  corresponds to the portion having the set color without transmitting the color of the background image  25 . 
     On the other hand, when the color of the background color layer  23  on the preview image  20  as illustrated in  FIG. 5  is changed to another color, if the preview image  20  is displayed as illustrated in  FIG. 6  (the color of the image  24   c  is changed with the change of the color of the background color layer  23 ), it is found that the image  24   c  corresponds to the portion transmitting the color of the background image  25 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4  to  FIG. 6 , in the recording apparatus  1 , the touch panel  19  can display the shape of the recording target medium as the background image  25  on the preview image  20 . Furthermore, the touch panel  19  can display, on the preview image  20 , a recording position of the recording image on the recording target medium. That is to say, the positions of the images  24   a ,  24   b , and  24   c  with respect to the background image  25  can be displayed on the preview image  20 . 
     This enables the user to imagine a state where the recording image has been recorded on the recording target medium before the recording more accurately. 
     In addition, the positions and the sizes of the images  24   a ,  24   b , and  24   c  with respect to the background image  25  can be also changed on the touch panel  19 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4  to  FIG. 6 , the recording apparatus  1  includes a receiver that receives a change of the color of the recording target medium on the preview image  20 , and the preview image  20  can be displayed on the touch panel  19  while the color of the recording target medium and the color of a periphery  31  of the recording target medium are made different. To be specific, the color of the background color (color of the background color layer  23 ) and the color of the periphery  31  of the recording target medium can be changed independently. 
     This enables the user to imagine the state before the recording image is recorded on the recording target medium in advance more accurately by making the color of the recording target medium different from the color of the periphery thereof for display. 
     In one embodiment, the background image layer  22  is provided and the background image layer  22  is constituted by the semi-transparent background image  25  having the shape of the recording target medium and the peripheral portion of the background image  25 , which forms the periphery  31  of the recording target medium. With this configuration, the recording apparatus  1  in the embodiment can easily change the shape of the recording target medium, the color of the recording target medium (color of the background color layer  23 ), and the color of the periphery  31  of the recording target medium for display. However, embodiments are not limited to the configuration. 
     The display of the shape of the recording target medium and the change of the color of the recording target medium are described in detail below. 
       FIG. 7  is a view illustrating a specification screen  26  of the background image  25  on the preview image  20  that may be displayed on the touch panel  19 . 
     A pull-down button  27 , a pull-down button  28 , and the like are provided on the specification screen  26  of the background image  25  on the preview image  20 . The pull-down button  27  allows the background color of the background image  25  to be specified. The pull-down button  28  allows the shape of the recording target medium to be specified. The user can specify the background color of the background image  25 , the shape of the recording target medium, and the like using the pull-down button  27 , the pull-down button  28 , and the like, respectively. 
     On the preview images as illustrated in  FIG. 4  to  FIG. 6 , a region for indicating a position at which the recording image can be recorded in the recording target medium clearly may be displayed, and scale may be displayed or represented so as to enable the user to recognize the size of the recording image easily. 
       FIG. 8  is a view illustrating a preview image that is displayed on the display portion in one embodiment. In  FIG. 8 , the region and the scale may be displayed. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 8 , a region  29  for indicating a position at which the recording image can be recorded in the recording target medium clearly and a scale  30  are displayed on the preview image  20 . A medium supporting portion  4  of various sizes can be used in the recording apparatus  1  and the size of the region  29  may be changed to be displayed in accordance with the size of the medium supporting portion  4 . Furthermore, on the preview image  20 , the scale  30  is displayed on the region  29  only at the left side in one example so as not to hide the recording image. Alternatively, the scale may be displayed on the region  29  at the upper side or the lower side or may be displayed in a grid form on overall the region  29 , for example.