Oligochromatic Color Mapping via Gamut Skeleton Adaptation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Industrial digital printing systems face challenges in switching inks/toners due to residue buildup, leading to color inconsistencies in oligochromatic patterns, and adding extra ink/toner suppliers is economically unfeasible.

Innovation Solution

A fast and low memory-consumable color mapping method that determines a skeleton from the image gamut of oligochromatic patterns, allowing for effective color correction and adaptation in digital printing systems, particularly for wood patterns, by selecting luminance ranges and determining balance points within sub-image-gamuts.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If industrial digital printing systems switch ink/toner to print different dominant colors, then color variety and adaptability are improved, but color consistency deteriorates due to residue buildup in ink/toner channels

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecolor varietyVSAvoidcolor consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the harmful residue buildup in ink/toner channels into a beneficial calibration opportunity. By detecting residues through color mapping deviations and systematically adjusting color values, the system transforms the contamination problem into a controlled calibration process that maintains color consistency across ink switches.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent dynamically adjusts color parameters (chroma, luminance, hue) based on detected residue levels and printing conditions. By changing these parameters adaptively rather than using fixed color values, the system compensates for residue effects and maintains color consistency across different ink/toner switches.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If extra ink/toner suppliers are added to achieve another dominant color, then color adaptability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecolor capabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the existing ink/toner supplier perform multiple functions by enabling it to print different dominant colors through digital color mapping. Instead of requiring separate physical suppliers for each color, the system universally uses the same supplier with dynamically adjusted color parameters, reducing device complexity while maintaining color versatility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent achieves different dominant colors by changing color parameters (chroma, luminance, hue) in the digital domain rather than physically changing ink/toner suppliers. This parameter-based approach allows one supplier to fulfill multiple color requirements, eliminating the need for additional hardware components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Manufacturing precision

If conventional color mapping methods are used in digital printing systems, then color reproduction is attempted, but memory consumption and processing time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecolor reproduction accuracyVSAvoidprocessing speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the color mapping process into distinct computational stages: determining the image gamut, extracting the skeleton structure, and performing adaptive color mapping along the skeleton. This segmentation enables efficient processing by focusing computational resources on critical path elements rather than processing all pixels uniformly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the essential color information by identifying and processing only the skeleton points that define the image gamut boundaries. By taking out these critical control points from the full image data, the system achieves accurate color reproduction with significantly reduced memory consumption and processing time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP3868092B1Method of color mapping of oligochromatic patterns
Publication Date: 2024.12.25 AGFA NV
  • EP3868092B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3868092B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3868092B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

A method of color mapping color values of an oligochromatic pattern comprising the following steps: determining an image-gamut, in a N-dimensional device independent color system (ND-DICS), of said oligochromatic pattern; wherein said image-gamut comprises said color values of said oligochromatic pattern; and determining a skeleton (500) of said image-gamut; and performing an adaption on said skeleton (500) in said ND-DICS by a set of N-dimensional-transforming steps (30) and determining for points of said skeleton (500), a path in said ND-DICS that corresponds to said adaption; and color mapping said color values, of said oligochromatic pattern, based on said determined paths (35) of said points of said skeleton (500).