Copying Apparatus Content Analysis for Sheet Size Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing copying apparatuses face challenges in efficiently copying documents of varying sizes on output sheets of the same size, leading to increased costs for sheets and recording agents due to the need for larger sheets and potential loss of pattern or mark visibility.
Innovation Solution
A copying apparatus with a document reading unit and printing control unit that analyzes the content of documents to determine the optimal output sheet size, allowing for trimming or enlargement to ensure the pattern or mark is not missed, and using machine learning to determine if a mark is identifiable at reduced sizes, thereby selecting the appropriate sheet size for efficient printing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the copying apparatus uses larger output sheets to accommodate documents of various sizes, then all documents can be copied without missing patterns or marks, but the cost for sheets and recording agents increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of the document content before copying to identify the position of patterns and marks. Based on this analysis, it pre-determines the optimal output sheet size and copying magnification that will preserve pattern visibility while minimizing sheet usage. This advance planning allows the system to avoid both over-sizing sheets (wasting resources) and under-sizing sheets (losing patterns).
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts copying parameters including output sheet size selection and magnification level based on the analyzed document content. By changing these parameters optimally for each document, the system ensures patterns remain visible while minimizing the size of output sheets required, thus reducing both sheet costs and recording agent consumption.
2Loss of substance
If the copying apparatus trims documents to fit smaller output sheets, then sheet costs are reduced, but patterns or marks may be cut off and lost
Solution Approach 1:
Before performing any trimming or copying operations, the system conducts a preliminary analysis to locate all patterns and marks on the document. Using this information, it calculates the minimum bounding box that contains all patterns while fitting within the target output sheet dimensions. This ensures that trimming only removes blank margins and never cuts off essential content.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces mechanical blind trimming with an intelligent, image-processing-based approach. By analyzing the digital representation of the document to identify pattern locations, the system can virtually determine safe trim boundaries before any physical copying occurs, substituting mechanical trial-and-error with computational precision.
3Loss of substance
If the copying apparatus analyzes document content to determine optimal sheet size, then sheet usage is minimized, but the copying process time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential information needed for decision-making from the document image, specifically the positions of patterns and marks. Rather than analyzing the entire document content in detail, it focuses extraction on these key features, significantly reducing the computational workload and analysis time while still enabling optimal sheet size determination.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs self-service mechanisms where the document image itself provides the information needed for decision-making. By automatically detecting pattern locations and calculating optimal trim boundaries from the image data, the system eliminates the need for manual inspection or external analysis tools, performing the entire optimization process internally and efficiently.
Data Source
AI summary
At the time of copying a smaller document and a larger document on output sheets having the same size, in a first case where a first document is smaller and a second document is larger, a printing control unit analyzes a content of the second document, and copies the first document and the second document on output sheets having sizes corresponding to the analysis result. In a second case where the first document is larger and the second document is smaller, a content of the first document is analyzed, and the first document and the second document are copied on output sheets having sizes corresponding to the analysis result.