Real-Time Consumable Estimation for Printing Jobs
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Solution Overview
Problem
In industrial printing, accurately estimating consumable consumption and printing time for large jobs is challenging due to varying consumption per page, requiring page-by-page rasterization, which is time-consuming and resource-intensive, while estimating only a few pages provides quick but inaccurate results.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus with a data acquiring unit, a unit estimating unit, an entire estimating unit, and an estimation presenting unit that calculates and updates consumable consumption estimates for each page and the entire job in real-time, using statistical analysis and machine learning models to provide dynamic and objective estimations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If page-by-page rasterization is performed to calculate accurate estimation, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the job into multiple pages and processes them in segments. The estimation calculation is performed page-by-page using incremental updates, where each page's consumption is calculated and added to the running total. This allows the system to provide accurate estimates without requiring complete processing of all pages at once, thus reducing time loss while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs estimation calculations on a partial basis (page-by-page) rather than requiring complete job processing. By calculating consumption estimates incrementally as each page is processed, the system provides sufficiently accurate estimates without the excessive time cost of complete rasterization of all pages, achieving a balance between precision and time efficiency.
2Measurement precision
If complete job processing is performed for accurate estimation, then measurement precision is improved, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the estimation process into page-level units that can be processed independently and incrementally. This segmentation enables parallel processing potential and allows the system to maintain high productivity by processing only necessary pages while achieving accurate overall consumption estimates through cumulative calculation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous estimation updates as pages are processed, maintaining an running total of consumable consumption. This continuous action approach allows the system to provide accurate estimates at any point during processing without requiring complete job processing, thereby improving productivity while maintaining measurement precision.
3Measurement precision
If all pages are rasterized for estimation, then measurement precision is improved, but use of energy and loss of substance increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by rasterizing and processing only the necessary portions of the job (individual pages) rather than all pages. This allows the system to achieve sufficient estimation accuracy by processing a representative sample or incremental pages, significantly reducing energy consumption while maintaining adequate measurement precision for practical purposes.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an information processing apparatus that enables an objective determination of an estimation of work related to printing. A data acquiring unit acquires a job for estimation. A unit estimating unit calculates an estimation of the work for each specific unit of the job acquired by the data acquiring unit. An entire estimating unit estimates and updates the estimation of the work for the entire job in real time based on the estimation of the work for the specific unit at the time calculated by the unit estimating unit. An estimation presenting unit presents the estimation of the work calculated by the entire estimating unit in real time.