Adaptive Spot Color Matching Across Illuminants
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spot color matching techniques are inadequate as they are optimized for a specific light source and observer angle, leading to color variations under different illuminants, and are prone to errors due to print engine variations and operator mistakes, resulting in inaccurate color reproduction.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for adaptive illumination-independent matching of spot colors, which involves obtaining spectra for spot colors and various illuminants, converting them to target spectra, determining device-specific recipes, calculating color dispersion, and selecting a recipe that minimizes color dispersion across multiple illuminants, using a system with a print engine, sensor, and processor to ensure consistent color reproduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If spot color matching is optimized for a specific light source (D50), then color accuracy under that illuminant is improved, but color consistency under other illuminants deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the optimization parameters from a single fixed illuminant (D50) to multiple variable illuminants. It calculates device-specific recipes for each target illuminant and selects the recipe that minimizes color dispersion across all illuminants, thereby achieving illumination-independent color matching.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adapts the color matching process to different illuminant conditions. Instead of using a static D50-optimized recipe, it computes multiple recipes corresponding to different illuminants and dynamically selects the optimal one based on measured color dispersion, enabling the system to adapt to various lighting conditions.
2Ease of operation
If manual entry of CMYK recipes is used, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to operator errors and print engine variations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically determining device-specific recipes through iterative optimization processes. It uses embedded sensors to measure actual printed colors and automatically adjusts the CMYK values to match target spectra, eliminating the need for manual operator intervention while achieving high precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where printed test patterns are measured by embedded sensors, and the measured values are fed back into the optimization process. This closed-loop feedback automatically corrects for print engine variations and operator errors, continuously improving color reproduction accuracy.
3Device complexity
If conventional spot color matching is used, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates due to uncontrolled environmental factors
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses self-service mechanisms where embedded sensors automatically measure color spectra and the system self-adjusts recipes without requiring external calibration equipment or controlled environmental conditions. This maintains high measurement precision while avoiding the complexity of environmental control systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A methodology is disclosed to achieve adaptive illumination independent matching of spot colors. In one embodiment, the methodology includes an iterative process to determine a variety device specific recipes for spot colors across different illumination spectra, and then automatically choosing and/or recommending the optimal recipe that provides the lowest color dispersion across a variety of illuminants under consideration. This approach may be used with a variety of gamut mapping techniques. According to a further embodiment, the methodology may be used with a ray-based gamut mapping method.