Method and system for aligning images printed with digital printer and analog cylinders
AssigneeElectronics for Imaging, Inc.
InventorFilippo Salamone
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Techniques for aligning images printed with digital printer and rotary cylinders include measuring a position of a substrate on a belt, capturing by a camera a digital image of the substrate, transmitting by camera the digital image to a processing device, performing digital image processing on the digital image to identify two shapes, determining the positions of each of the two shapes using the measured position of the substrate, measuring a distance between the determined positions of each of the two shapes, calculating an error, where the error is the difference between the measured distance and a predetermined distance of the two shapes, and adjusting either a digital printer, a speed of a rotary cylinder, or a speed of the belt, based on the error.
Claims20
A method for aligning images printed with digital printer and rotary cylinders, the method comprising:
- measuring, by an encoder, a position of a substrate on a belt;
- capturing, by a first camera, at least one digital image of the substrate;
- transmitting, by a processor on the first camera, the at least one digital image to a processing device;
- performing digital image processing by the processing device on the at least one digital image to identify two shapes;
- responsive to identifying the two shapes, determining, by the processing device, positions of each of the two shapes using the measured position of the substrate;
- measuring, by the processing device, a distance between the determined positions of each of the two shapes;
- calculating, by the processing device, an error, wherein the error is the difference between the measured distance and a predetermined distance of the two shapes;
- and
- adjusting either a digital printer, a speed of a rotary cylinder, or a speed of the belt, based on the error.
A system for aligning images printed with digital printer and rotary cylinders, the method comprising:
- an encoder configured to measure a position of a substrate on a belt;
- a first camera configured to capture at least one digital image of the substrate;
- a processor on the first camera configured to transmit the at least one digital image to a processing device;
- wherein the processing device is configured to perform digital image processing on the at least one digital image to identify two shapes;
- wherein the processing device is further configured determine positions of each of the two shapes using the measured position of the substrate, responsive to identifying the two shapes;
- wherein the processing device is further configured to measure a distance between the determined positions of each of the two shapes;
- wherein the processing device is further configured to calculate an error, wherein the error is the difference between the measured distance and a predetermined distance of the two shapes;
- and
- an adjusting processor configured to adjust either a digital printer or a speed of a rotary cylinder based on the error.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.