Band Edge Tracking Cost Optimization for Image Rendering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rendering methods in commercial printing face inefficiencies due to dependencies between bands, leading to costly pre-processing and reduced parallelism, as objects spanning multiple bands require tracking across bands, which is time-consuming and resource-intensive, especially for complex objects.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines edge tracking conditions and rendering schedules based on costs associated with tracking edges across bands, allowing for selective postponement of rendering until necessary data is received, thereby optimizing resource utilization and reducing redundant processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If objects are tracked across multiple bands to ensure rendering accuracy, then manufacturing precision is improved, but loss of time increases due to repeated tracking operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing edge tracking once when an object first enters a band, and storing the tracked edge information in a cache. Subsequent bands can then reuse this pre-computed tracking information without repeating the expensive tracking operations, thereby maintaining rendering accuracy while significantly reducing the time loss from repeated tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating and storing copies of tracked edge information in a cache structure. When subsequent bands need the same edge tracking data, they copy this pre-computed information rather than re-tracking edges, which maintains manufacturing precision while eliminating redundant time-consuming operations.
2Manufacturing precision
If bands are merged to contain entire objects and avoid partitioning, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to reduced parallelism
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the rendering task into independent band-level units that can be processed in parallel. Each band maintains object integrity by using cached tracking information from previous bands, allowing the system to segment work for parallelism while preserving complete object rendering across band boundaries.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary caching mechanism that mediates between bands. This cache stores edge tracking information and enables communication between parallel band processing units, allowing each band to access necessary object state information without requiring merged bands, thus maintaining object integrity while enabling parallelism.
3Manufacturing precision
If pre-processing is performed on objects spanning multiple bands, then manufacturing precision is improved, but loss of time increases due to expensive pre-processing operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary edge tracking only when objects first enter the rendering pipeline, storing results in a cache. This preliminary action occurs once per object entry rather than repeatedly for each band, maintaining edge tracking accuracy while dramatically reducing the time loss from pre-processing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent discards redundant pre-processing by not re-tracking edges that have already been processed in previous bands. Instead, it recovers and reuses the cached tracking information, which maintains manufacturing precision while eliminating the time loss from repeated pre-processing operations.
4Productivity
If y-dimension parallelism is implemented by processing bands simultaneously, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to dependency issues on z-dimension object arrival
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a caching intermediary that decouples the z-dimension object arrival from y-dimension band processing. The cache stores edge tracking information that can be reused across bands, allowing bands to be processed in parallel without waiting for complete object data from previous bands, thus improving productivity while maintaining manufacturing precision through the mediating cache.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary edge tracking and caching before band processing begins. This preliminary action prepares the necessary object state information in advance, allowing subsequent bands to proceed in parallel without dependency delays, thereby improving productivity while maintaining the precision of edge tracking through pre-computed cached data.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of rendering an image as a plurality of bands is disclosed. A plurality of edge tracking conditions for at least one of the bands is determined, the edge tracking conditions comprising waiting for at least one other band. A plurality of distinct rendering schedules is determined for the image, each rendering schedule specifying an edge tracking condition for each of the bands, the edge tracking condition for each band being selected from the corresponding plurality of edge tracking conditions for the band. A cost for a rendering schedule is determined. The rendering schedule cost is based on an edge tracking condition specified for each of the bands using a tracking cost of edges associated with the band through at least one intermediate band positioned between the band and the band specified in the edge tracking condition. The image is rendered in accordance with a selected rendering schedule, the rendering schedule being selected based on the cost determined for the rendering schedule.