Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for calibrated digital printing using a four by four transformation matrix

US5508826A · kind A · utility

86Cited by
20References
13Claims
0Family size

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 27, 1993
Grant dateApr 16, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 27, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N1/6033
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A Self Calibrating Color Printer. The present invention enables color printers to accurately reproduce color images despite variations in ink, paper or the printing system. The calibrated printer includes a movable optical sensor assembly which first calibrates itself by measuring an included known color gamut located within the movement range of the sensor assembly. Once calibrated, the sensor assembly measures a color print test pattern newly printed by a movable color print head of the printer. An analog-to-digital converter transforms electrical signals from the sensor assembly to sensor values in digital form, enabling a printer control processor to process the measured data, thereby producing two look-up tables stored in memory: first, a color correction look-up table which adjusts image color values to account for the ink/paper variations, and second, an error diffusion look-up table which spreads color value errors at a given pixel to its neighbors. Once the printer control processor creates these two look-up tables and, the printer is able to process image data, and control the print head via its associated print head electronics to faithfully reproduce the image onto pape…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.