Embroidery Color Selection Using Thread Difference Thresholds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing embroidery data generation methods produce unnatural color representations when mixing disparate thread colors, such as green and peach, to depict skin tones in images, leading to visible inconsistencies in the embroidery pattern.
Innovation Solution
A method that selects thread colors by determining the difference between assigned and candidate colors using threshold values for lightness, hue, and saturation, ensuring that the selected colors are close to the target area's representative color, thereby reducing the likelihood of unnatural color combinations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If color reduction is applied to map source image colors to available thread colors, then the number of colors is reduced to match available thread options, but the color representation becomes unnatural when disparate colors are mixed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter selection criteria by introducing threshold-based filtering on color differences (lightness, hue, saturation). Instead of arbitrarily selecting any available thread color, the system calculates color differences between source image colors and available thread colors, then applies threshold values to filter out colors that would create unnatural representations. This parameter-based filtering resolves the contradiction by maintaining adaptability to available threads while ensuring color representation accuracy through scientific color difference measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system evaluates the suitability of candidate thread colors by calculating color differences and comparing them against threshold values. This feedback loop allows the system to iteratively select colors that minimize unnatural representations, thereby resolving the contradiction between adapting to available thread colors and maintaining color representation accuracy.
2Productivity
If mathematical color mixing is used to represent intermediate colors, then more color variations can be achieved, but the optical appearance becomes unnatural on embroidery patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent rejects mathematical color mixing in favor of selecting only colors that exist in the available thread color palette. By changing the approach from generating intermediate mixed colors to filtering and selecting from discrete available colors, the system maintains optical naturalness while still achieving sufficient color variation through careful selection of colors that are close to the source image colors within defined thresholds.
3Adaptability or versatility
If disparate thread colors are selected to cover a wide color range, then more source image colors can be represented, but the embroidery pattern shows visible inconsistencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies threshold-based parameter filtering to control color selection. By defining acceptable ranges for lightness, hue, and saturation differences, the system can cover a wide color range while maintaining consistency. The thresholds act as constraints that prevent selection of disparate colors that would create visible inconsistencies, thereby resolving the contradiction between color range coverage and color consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different threshold values for different color parameters (lightness, hue, saturation) based on their relative importance for natural color perception. This local quality approach allows the system to be more stringent on parameters that significantly affect visual naturalness while being more permissive on others, thereby maintaining color consistency across the embroidery pattern.
Data Source
AI summary
A non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-readable instructions, when executed by a computer, causing the computer to execute a process. The process includes: obtaining image data; obtaining thread colors as available colors for sewing an embroidery pattern; setting a first color representing a target area; in a case where at least one color is assigned from the available colors as a color representing the target area, selecting a color close to the first color when combined with the at least one color assigned, from the available colors, as a candidate; determining whether a difference between color information representing the at least one color assigned and color information representing the candidate is smaller than a threshold value; in a case where the difference is smaller than the threshold value, adding the candidate to the at least one color assigned; and generating embroidery data associating thread color data with position data.