US 11,697,290 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. 25, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/104,070.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-215701 (JP), filed on Nov. 28, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0162776 A1, Jun. 3, 2021
Int. Cl. B41J 3/407 (2006.01); B41J 3/54 (2006.01); B41J 15/16 (2006.01)
CPC B41J 3/4078 (2013.01) [B41J 3/543 (2013.01); B41J 15/165 (2013.01)] 3 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
3. A printing method comprising:
an (n−1)-th image processing and an n-th image processing next to the (n−1)-th image processing, each of the (n−1)-th image processing and the n-th image processing including division and combination of image data, n being a positive integer and 2 or more, the executing being performed by
acquiring (n−1)-th image data as a target of the (n−1)-th image processing and n-th image data as a target of the n-th image processing,
generating an (n−1)-th upper image having a horizontal lower side and an (n−1)-th lower image having a horizontal upper side for the (n−1)-th image data by dividing the (n−1)-th image data by a first horizontal line,
generating an n-th upper image having a horizontal lower side and an n-th lower image having a horizontal upper side for the n-th image data by dividing the n-th image data by a second horizontal line different from the first horizontal line, and
generating combined image data having a horizontal upper side and a horizontal lower side by combining the (n−1)-th lower image of the (n−1)-th image data, which is generated by the dividing of the (n−1)-th image data in the (n−1)-th image processing, to the upper side of the n-th upper image of the n-th image data, which is generated by the dividing of the n-th image data in the n-th image processing; and
performing printing on a printing medium based on the combined image data after the n-th image processing;
transport, by a transport unit, clothing fabric that is the printing medium where a pattern is formed;
imaging, by an imaging unit, the clothing fabric transported by the transport unit;
extracting, based on a comparison between first image data representing the pattern and second image data generated by the imaging of the clothing fabric by the imaging unit, a pattern region in the second image data corresponding to the pattern;
correcting third image data representing an image to be printed overlapping the pattern so that the third image data matches a shape of the pattern region; and
setting the corrected third image data as a target of the n-th image processing.