Array Camera Imaging for High-Speed Printed Materials
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing imaging technologies for printed materials face challenges in capturing high-resolution images of moving materials at high speeds, especially in tight spaces, and struggle to efficiently authenticate printed marks due to the complexity of adding anti-counterfeiting features, while line scan technology is cumbersome and may not be feasible in high-speed applications.
Innovation Solution
An imaging system with an array of cameras having overlapping fields of view, controlled by an imaging controller that determines an optical system configuration profile to capture regions of interest at precise times using sensor and encoder signals, allowing for efficient image processing and authentication of printed marks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If line scan technology is used to obtain images of moving printed material, then accurate tracking of motion is achieved, but the system becomes physically too large to fit in tight areas and is cumbersome for high-speed applications
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging system is segmented into multiple discrete camera units arranged in an array, each capturing a portion of the printed material. This replaces the single complex line scan system with multiple simpler area scan cameras, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining imaging capability through parallel operation of multiple units
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical line scan imaging mechanism with an optical array of area scan cameras. This substitution eliminates the need for complex mechanical tracking components, allowing the system to be more compact and better suited for high-speed applications while maintaining image quality through computational methods
2Productivity
If multiple cameras are used to capture images of moving printed material, then high-speed imaging is achieved, but determining which cameras to trigger and when becomes computationally complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-determining the layout of content on printed material and pre-calculating trigger intervals for each camera based on material speed and camera positions. This preparation is done before high-speed imaging begins, allowing the control system to simply execute pre-planned trigger sequences during operation, thereby reducing real-time computational complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic camera selection and triggering based on real-time material speed and content layout. The system adapts which cameras are active and when they trigger, optimizing imaging efficiency for high-speed production while managing control complexity through algorithmic dynamic adjustment rather than static configuration
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for capturing images during a production run, comprising: - determining a layout of content on printed material; - determining, based on the layout of content on the printed material, an optical system configuration profile for controlling operation of an optical device during the production run; - triggering selected one or more cameras of the optical device at times determined based on a trigger interval determined to capture images of one or more regions of interest on the printed material as the printed material moves in fields of view of the selected one or more cameras during the production run; and - processing the captured images, wherein processing the captured images comprises parallel processing respective regions of interest on the printed material captured in respective images by respective cameras from the selected one or more cameras.