Composite Image Augmentation for Printed Mark Variation Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial printers often produce marks with variations in quality due to printer settings, printhead issues, and environmental factors, which can lead to reading and scanning errors, and these variations are difficult for human operators to detect visually.
Innovation Solution
A system that obtains images from multiple industrial printers, creates a composite image, compares the marks, and augments detected variations to a higher resolution, allowing operators to visually identify and address mark quality issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If human operators visually inspect printed marks, then they can detect obvious quality issues, but they cannot detect subtle variations below 170 dpi resolution
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary processing layer between the printed mark and human inspection. The mark image is captured by a sensor, processed through algorithms that amplify subtle variations, and presented to the operator as an augmented image where previously invisible defects become clearly visible. This intermediary processing resolves the contradiction by translating sub-170dpi variations into visually detectable patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameters of the mark representation rather than changing the physical mark itself. By capturing the mark at high resolution, converting to grayscale, applying contrast enhancement, and amplifying variations through image processing, the system transforms parameters such as brightness distribution, contrast ratios, and variation magnitude to make subtle defects detectable by human operators.
2Manufacturing precision
If industrial printers produce high-resolution marks, then mark quality improves, but variations become invisible to human detection
Solution Approach 1:
The high-resolution mark capture system serves as an intermediary that bridges the gap between high manufacturing precision and human detection limitations. The sensor captures marks at resolutions exceeding 170 dpi, preserving all subtle variations, then image processing algorithms act as a second intermediary to amplify these variations into a form suitable for human inspection, resolving the contradiction between high precision production and detectability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from direct spatial inspection to a transformed dimensional representation. By converting mark images to grayscale, applying contrast transformations, and creating composite images that emphasize variations, the system changes the dimensional characteristics of the data presentation, allowing subtle spatial variations in high-resolution marks to become detectable through enhanced contrast and composite visualization.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple printers are operated without centralized monitoring, then operational flexibility is maintained, but mark consistency across printers deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by capturing marks from multiple printers, comparing them against each other and against target specifications, then providing visual feedback through composite images that highlight variations. This feedback mechanism allows operators to identify consistency issues across printers while maintaining operational independence, as each printer continues to operate autonomously but can be monitored and adjusted based on the comparative analysis provided by the system.
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized monitoring system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it captures marks from multiple printers, stores images for historical analysis, performs real-time comparison across printers, generates composite images for visual inspection, and provides a basis for quality decisions. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by providing comprehensive mark consistency monitoring without interfering with the operational flexibility and independence of individual printers.
Data Source
AI summary
The embodiments herein relate to a method performed by a system (100) for handling variations in a mark (110) printed by a group (105) of industrial printers (101). The system (100) obtains images of the printed mark (110) printed by each of the printers (101) in the group (105). The system (100) creates a composite image from the obtained images. The printed marks (110) appear as a repeating pattern in the composite image. The system (100) compares the printed marks (110) in the composite image to each other or to another mark. The system (100) detects variations with a first resolution in the printed marks (110) in the composite image as a result of the comparison. The system (100) creates an augmented image in which the detected variations are augmented to a second resolution. The first resolution is lower than the second resolution.