US 11,718,105 B2
Printing apparatus and printing method
Naoki Kayahara, Nagano (JP)
Assigned to Seiko Epson Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Nov. 29, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/456,657.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-198140 (JP), filed on Nov. 30, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0169042 A1, Jun. 2, 2022
Int. Cl. B41J 3/407 (2006.01); B41J 11/00 (2006.01); H04N 1/12 (2006.01)
CPC B41J 3/4078 (2013.01) [B41J 11/008 (2013.01); H04N 1/128 (2013.01)] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A printing apparatus, comprising:
a transport unit configured to transport a fabric formed with a pattern in a transport direction;
an imaging unit configured to image the fabric transported by the transport unit;
a printing unit configured to perform printing on the fabric transported by the transport unit;
a pattern extracting unit configured to, based on a comparison between first image data representing the pattern and second image data generated by imaging the fabric by the imaging unit, extract a pattern region corresponding to the pattern in the second image data;
a printing image generation unit configured to arrange third image data representing an image to be printed overlaid on the pattern so that the third image data matches the pattern region extracted, to generate printing image data; and
a printing control unit configured to cause the printing unit to print the printing image data on the fabric, wherein
the pattern extracting unit performs
first extracting processing for extracting the pattern region from a first region of the second image data, and
second extracting processing for extracting the pattern region from a second region of the second image data,
a part of the second region is an overlapping region overlapping the first region, and
a length in the transport direction of the overlapping region is equal to or greater than a length in the transport direction of the first image data.