Scanner Profile Generation for Extended Color Gamuts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current scanner profiles require measuring at least four grid points for each pixel, leading to excessive material consumption when generating profiles for printers using additional colors beyond CMYK, as existing technologies are not adaptable to color gamuts without grid points.
Innovation Solution
The system generates a scanner profile that retains process color components like CMYK and selects grid points only for needed parts, interpolating output device values to include additional colors like red, reducing the number of chart images and material consumption by generating grid points only for necessary parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a scanner profile is generated for each K ingredient amount and fifth color ingredient amount, then color conversion accuracy is improved, but material consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the color space into multiple sub-color spaces based on the ingredient amounts of the fifth color (e.g., red). Instead of creating one comprehensive scanner profile covering all possible color combinations, the system divides the color gamut into several smaller regions, each characterized by a specific range of fifth color ingredient amounts. This segmentation allows the system to generate scanner profiles only for the necessary sub-color spaces, significantly reducing material consumption while maintaining color conversion accuracy for each segment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by generating scanner profiles only for the specific ingredient amounts that are actually needed for the given image data, rather than generating profiles for all possible ingredient amounts. The system analyzes the image to determine which color ranges are present and generates scanner profiles only for those relevant sub-color spaces, avoiding the excessive material consumption that would result from generating complete profiles for all possible K and fifth color ingredient amount combinations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If scanner profiles are generated for all color combinations, then color management completeness is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the comprehensive color management task into manageable sub-tasks by dividing the color space into multiple sub-color spaces based on fifth color ingredient amounts. Each sub-color space is processed independently with its own scanner profile, making the overall system more manageable and less complex than attempting to handle all color combinations in a single unified profile.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic selection of scanner profiles based on the actual color content of the image being processed. The system dynamically determines which sub-color space the image data falls into and selects the appropriate scanner profile accordingly, rather than statically maintaining all possible profiles. This dynamic approach reduces processing complexity by activating only the necessary profile selection logic for each specific case.
Data Source
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AI summary
According to one mode of the present invention, a scanner profile SP previously retains process color components (such as CMYK) used for profile generation. Grid points 61 through 64 are selected from a scanner profile SP corresponding to the process color components (CMYK) for any output device value of an input image. An output device value for color patch is acquired while the output device value for color patch results from adding a color (R) except the process color components (CMYK) for any output device value to the CMYK process color components retained at the selected grid points 61 through 64. A color patch (chart image) 70 is generated based on the output device value for color patch.