Embroidery Thread Color Selection Using Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing embroidery data generation devices struggle to select an optimal set of thread colors from a large palette that accurately represent an image, often resulting in a reduced color gamut due to the inclusion of similar colors, which limits the expressive capability of the embroidery design.
Innovation Solution
A device that includes a processor and memory configured to acquire image data, replace pixel colors with suitable thread colors, calculate frequency usage, and selectively choose thread colors based on group information and frequency data to generate embroidery data, ensuring a balanced and diverse color palette.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If thread colors are selected based solely on color matching frequency, then color accuracy to the original image is improved, but color diversity deteriorates due to selection of similar colors
Solution Approach 1:
The thread color palette is segmented into multiple groups based on color similarity. Each group contains thread colors that are visually similar to each other. By selecting at most one thread color from each group, the system ensures color diversity while maintaining accurate representation of the original image colors.
Solution Approach 2:
Different selection criteria are applied to different groups of thread colors. Within each color similarity group, the system selects the thread color that best matches the original image colors (local optimization), while the group structure itself enforces global diversity. This local quality approach resolves the contradiction between color accuracy and color diversity.
2Device complexity
If the number of thread colors used is reduced to approximately ten, then manufacturing complexity is improved, but color representation capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The available thread colors (approximately one-hundred) are segmented into groups, and only a limited number of groups (resulting in approximately ten selected colors) are chosen for the final embroidery. This segmentation approach maintains color representation capability by ensuring each group contributes its most representative color, while reducing the total number of colors to simplify manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of color selection from individual color matching to group-based selection. By transforming the selection criterion from pixel-level color matching to group-level representation, the system achieves both reduced color count (simplifying manufacturing) and maintained color representation capability (through optimal group selection).
Data Source
AI summary
A device includes a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store a plurality of group information pieces, the number of thread colors to be used in embroidery sewing and computer-readable instructions. Each of the group information pieces is associated with one more thread colors among a plurality of thread colors. The computer-readable instructions cause the processor, when executed, to perform processes that includes acquiring image data including pixels, replacing a color of each of the pixels with a thread color from the thread colors, calculating a frequency of using each of the thread colors, selecting, until the number of thread colors selected from the thread colors is equal the number of thread colors to be used stored in the memory, one thread color from each of the group information pieces sequentially, based on the group information pieces stored in the memory and on the calculated frequency.