Ink Use Estimation via Image Drop Counting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing printing technologies inaccurately predict ink usage for high-volume and complex print jobs, leading to large margins in estimated costs to ensure profitability, which can be inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that estimate ink usage by transferring image representations and printing specifications to a printer, calculating predicted ink drops through printer imaging steps, and multiplying by image and printing parameters to provide an accurate ink use value before printing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If average ink usage from previous print operations is used for prediction, then the calculation method is simple, but the prediction accuracy is insufficient for high volume and complex printing operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of the image data before printing to calculate predicted ink drop counts. By processing the image representation through printer imaging steps in advance, the system obtains accurate ink usage predictions without affecting the actual printing speed, resolving the contradiction between calculation complexity and prediction accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical averaging methods with a computational model that uses image processing and printer imaging step simulations. This substitution of computational algorithms for simple averaging enables accurate prediction of ink usage for complex printing operations while maintaining ease of implementation through software-based solutions.
2Reliability
If large margins are built into estimated printing cost, then adequate profit is ensured, but cost estimation efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces conservative margin-based cost estimation with computational algorithms that accurately predict actual ink usage based on image analysis. This substitution provides reliable cost estimates without requiring excessive margins, thereby improving cost estimation efficiency while ensuring adequate profit through accurate rather than inflated predictions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from actual printing operations to continuously improve the accuracy of ink usage predictions. By comparing predicted ink drop counts with actual ink consumption, the system refines its algorithms over time, providing increasingly accurate cost estimates that maintain profitability without requiring large safety margins.
3Measurement precision
If detailed image processing is performed for ink prediction, then prediction accuracy improves, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs detailed image processing and ink prediction calculations as preliminary actions before the actual printing operation. By completing these computationally intensive tasks in advance, the system achieves high prediction accuracy without delaying the printing process itself, as the predictions are prepared independently of the printing execution.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the level of image processing detail based on the specific characteristics of the print job and available resources. For simple images, less processing is required, while complex images receive more detailed analysis. This dynamic approach maintains high accuracy where needed while minimizing unnecessary processing time for simpler cases.
Data Source
AI summary
An image representation of an image and printing specifications describing how the image is to be printed may be accepted at a device. A predicted ink drop count may be calculated by a processor in the device using the image representation and a printer imaging step, the printer imaging step to convert image data into printer data. A predicted ink use value may be calculated by processor based on the predicted ink drop count, predicted ink drop weights, the image representation (e.g., a histogram) and the printing specifications. Actual ink use during a printing operation may be measured.