Patent Application
20240314257
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a method of controlling the same, and a storage medium.
Generally, in commercial color printers, inspection of color accuracy (color inspection) of the printer is performed periodically (e.g. every morning) to ensure a consistent color reproducibility. Color inspection is performed by comparing a color (reference color) serving as a reference defined by a standard (e.g., International Standard Organization (ISO)) with a color (printed color) actually printed by the printer and confirming whether the color accuracy satisfies passing criteria. Then, upon receiving a passing result for the color inspection, the production of commercial printed matters by the printer is started.
At this time, if the color accuracy does not satisfy the passing criteria, print profile regeneration or correction processing in which a color correction function of the printer is used will be necessary to improve the color accuracy. These tasks take time and effort and thus need to be performed efficiently.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2020-30754 discloses a technique for performing color inspection at a plurality of points in time of printing and determining intervals at which to execute color correction work based on a result of that color inspection as well as displaying an inspection result history. However, in prior art, in a case that a plurality of printers are used, the printers are operated as appropriate starting from those that passed the color inspection. For example, when conducting color inspection jobs of a plurality of printers, an on-site worker cannot collectively measure the charts of a plurality of color inspection jobs, and so measuring work was inefficient. Specifically, since the on-site worker completes color inspection jobs one at a time, the on-site worker needs to repeat a workflow (e.g., select a color inspection job for a measurement target, start a measurement job, prepare a measuring device, transmit a measurement result, complete the measurement job, and confirm a color inspection result) for the number of printers. Therefore, each time a single color inspection job is performed, there are switching processing of the measuring device and a pointing device, measurement job start/completion processing, measurement result communication processing, color inspection processing, and the like, and so, it was not possible for only the chart measuring work to be consecutively performed, thereby resulting in inefficiency.
Embodiments of the present disclosure eliminate the above-mentioned issues with conventional technology.
A feature of embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a technique for increasing the efficiency of measuring work in a plurality of color inspection tasks, while allowing individual color inspection results to be received as appropriate.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided an information processing apparatus operable to manage a color to be printed by a printer based on measurement data of color patches arranged on a chart printed by the printer, the apparatus comprising: one or more controllers including one or more processors and one or more memories, the one or more controllers configured to: set a specification of a color inspection print job necessitating measurement for managing color; generate a color inspection job based on the set specification of the color inspection print job; in a case where there are a plurality of charts corresponding to a plurality of color inspection jobs, each chart having been printed by the printer based on a respective color inspection job, generate a measurement job in which the plurality of charts are collectively designated as measurement targets; obtain a measurement result for the chart for each of the plurality of color inspection jobs designated as the measurement target, and output the measurement result as appropriate for each color inspection job; and perform processing for managing the color based on the measurement result and the specification of the color inspection print job.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of controlling an information processing apparatus operable to manage a color to be printed by a printer based on measurement data of color patches arranged on a chart printed by the printer, the method comprising: setting a specification of a color inspection print job necessitating measurement for managing color; generating a color inspection job based on the set specification of the color inspection print job; in a case where there are a plurality of charts corresponding to a plurality of color inspection jobs, each chart having been printed by the printer based on a respective color inspection job, generating a measurement job in which the plurality of charts are collectively designated as measurement targets; obtaining a measurement result for the chart for each of the plurality of color inspection jobs designated as the measurement target, and outputting the measurement result as appropriate for each color inspection job; and performing processing for managing the color based on the measurement result and the specification of the color inspection print job.
Further features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the following embodiments are not intended to limit the claims of the present disclosure, and that not all of the combinations of the aspects that are described according to the following embodiments are necessarily required with respect to the means to solve the issues according to the present disclosure.
In the color management system, color inspection of each printer is periodically performed to unitarily manage the colors of the printers. In color inspection, first, a predetermined chart is printed in a target printer. Next, a measuring device measures the color patches of the printed chart and confirms a difference (color accuracy) between reference colors and the obtained measurement data of printed colors. The color patches arranged in the chart are also referred to as color patches or color samples, and there are cases where the color patches are simply referred to as “patches” in the present specification.
In the color management system illustrated in
The color management apparatus 100 is connected to the control apparatus 110 via the network 160 so as to be capable of mutual communication. The color management apparatus 100 includes a setting function for setting a specification of a color inspection print job and issues a color inspection job according to the set color inspection print job. Then, the color management apparatus 100 generates a color inspection chart to which an ID (identification information) associated with the color inspection job has been assigned and provides the color inspection chart to the control apparatus 110. Then, the color management apparatus 100 prints the color inspection chart via the control apparatus 110, using a target printer corresponding to printer information set in the color inspection print job.
The color management apparatus 100 compares a color (reference color) serving as a preset reference with the measured value of a color (printed color) actually printed in the printer obtained via the control apparatus 110 and inspects whether color accuracy of the printed color satisfies passing criteria. The color management apparatus 100 also unitarily manages color inspection results of printers connected to each other via the control apparatus 110.
The control apparatus 110 is connected to the printers 130a to 130c at the site 1 via a communication network, such as an intranet, so as to be capable of mutual communication and obtains device information of each printer and issues print instructions to each printer. The device information of a printer includes print condition information, such as available sheet information and available print profiles. The print instruction to a printer includes a print instruction for a color inspection chart received from the color management apparatus 100.
The control apparatus 110 is connected to the measuring devices 150a to 150c of the site 1 via a communication network, such as a USB cable or intranet, so as to be capable of mutual communication and controls each measuring device. Then, the control apparatus 110 transmits measurement data obtained from the measuring devices 150a to 150c to the color management apparatus 100. The monitor 120 is connected to the control apparatus 110 and displays various kinds of user interface screens (UI screens).
The printers 130a to 130c print color images on sheets based on print jobs from the control apparatus 110 using, for example, an electrophotographic process technology. The printers 130a to 130c may be monochrome printers or printers based on another image forming method, such as inkjet. The printers 130a to 130c may be multi-function peripherals in which a copy function and a fax function are included in addition to a print function.
The measuring devices 150a to 150c are spectrophotometers, which measure a color value of an object based on a reflectance or transmittance of visible light having a wavelength of about 400 nm to 700 nm. The measuring devices 150a to 150c are prepared, for example, for each site, and measurement data is obtained by converting a wavelength obtained for each patch of the charts printed by the printers 130a to 130c into a value in the L*a*b* color space or XYZ color space, for example.
A reference numeral 200 denotes an example of the entire chart, and a reference numeral 201 denotes signal values (RGB values) defined using an RGB color space corresponding to respective patches (patch numbers 1 to 729) of the chart. In addition, a reference numeral 202 denotes an example of measurement data for which a color value of each patch on the chart printed by a printer has been obtained by a measuring device. The signal values of the reference numeral 201 are not limited to the RGB color space signal values but may be signal values (CMYK values) defined using a CMYK color space.
The measuring devices 150a to 150c are, for example, measuring devices with a built-in line sensor or area sensor for scanning a chart. If the measuring devices are a type of measuring device such as a sheet-through automatic document reading devices, by having a built-in line sensor or area sensor, they can pre-scan a chart and, after detecting the position of patches to be measured, perform measurement. By using an automatic feeding unit in addition to manual feeding in which charts are manually fed one at a time, some sheet-through measuring devices can automatically feed chart one at a time and measure consecutive pages when a plurality of charts are loaded on the automatic feeding unit and measurement is started. The present invention is not limited to measuring devices such as sheet-through measuring devices and may be, for example, portable (handheld) measuring devices that perform measurement while being manually moved over the patches of a chart.
The network 160 may be, for example, a local area network (LAN), the Internet, an intranet, or the like and may be wired or wireless.
The sites 1 to 3 (170a to 170c) correspond to the locations or the like of printing companies where printers are installed. For example, the site 1 is a printing site in Tokyo, the site 2 is a printing site in Osaka, and the site 3 is a printing site in Fukuoka.
The configuration of the color management system illustrated in
A configuration in which an information processing apparatus having functions of both the color management apparatus 100 and the control apparatus 110 is provided for each site and that information processing apparatus performs color management of a plurality of printers at the site may be taken.
The above-described color management apparatus 100 and the control apparatus 110 both are information processing apparatuses and are realized by, for example, general-purpose notebook/desktop personal computers, server terminals, or tablet terminals.
The color management apparatus 100 and the control apparatus 110 include a CPU 101, a ROM 102, a RAM 103, a hard disk drive (HDD) 104, a display unit 105, a console unit 106, a network interface (I/F) 107, and an external device I/F 108. The respective units 101 to 108 illustrated in
The CPU 101 is a central processing unit for controlling the entire apparatus and executes each image process to be described later by deploying in the RAM 103 a program stored in the ROM 102 and executing the program. The ROM 102 is a read-only memory and stores a boot program, processing programs, character data, character code information, and the like. The RAM 103 is a random access memory and is used as an area in which the CPU 101 deploys programs when executing various kinds of programs as well as a working memory. The RAM 103 is also used as a data storage area for image files received from the network I/F 107. The HDD 104 is used for storing the results of computation processing executed by the CPU 101, various kinds of programs, respective information files, and the like. The display unit 105 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display or the like and, for example, displays user interface screens for performing various kinds of settings and confirming apparatus states. The console unit 106 includes a keyboard, a pointing device, and the like and is used by a user, for example, to input or reset various setting values. The display unit 105 includes a touch panel function and may be configured to substitute for a part of the functions of the console unit 106. The network I/F 107 is an interface for connecting the apparatus 100 or 110 to the network 160. The color management apparatus 100 and the control apparatus 110 can each transmit and receive various kinds of information to and from an external apparatus via the network I/F 107. The external device I/F 108 is, for example, an interface for connecting external devices, such as the measuring devices 150a to 150c, via a communication bus, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB).
Next, a software configuration of the color management apparatus 100 and the control apparatus 110 will be described.
The color management apparatus 100 and the control apparatus 110 include a color inspection print job specification setting module 401, a UI control module 402, a color inspection job generation module 403, a measurement job generation module 404, a measurement control module 405, a color inspection processing module 406. Each of these functional modules is realized by the CPU 101 executing a predetermined program. Each functional unit will be described below.
The color inspection print job specification setting module 401 sets a specification of a color inspection print job. Specifically, the color inspection print job specification setting module 401 performs settings for a measuring device to be used for measuring a chart, a color inspection specification, and the like in addition to a condition of a printer that is a target of color inspection and a sheet used in the print job. Since the color reproduction accuracy of a printer changes greatly depending on the combination of a printer and a sheet, it is necessary to perform color inspection and color management for each condition of a printer and a sheet. Here, the color inspection print job specification setting module 401 selects from among the printers 130a, 130b, and 130c connected to the control apparatus 110 a printer that performs color inspection and sets the printer to be inspected. In addition, the color inspection print job specification setting module 401 sets a predefined sheet or selects a sheet from sheets in the device information of the set printer received via the control apparatus 110 and sets the sheet.
In addition, a chart design specification, such as a measurable patch size, a patch arrangement with consideration for margin, and specification of markers for recognizing patch arrangement, are defined according to the measuring device. Therefore, in order to generate a measurable chart and print it by the printer, it is necessary to designate the measuring device to be used. Therefore, the color inspection print job specification setting module 401 selects and sets a predefined type of measuring device or selects a measuring device to be used for color inspection from the measuring devices 150a, 150b, and 150c connected to the control apparatus 110.
The color inspection print job specification setting module 401 performs advanced settings for a color inspection specification (chart specification (number of patches, patch signal value, etc.), reference value set, allowable value set, evaluation mode, a measurement condition, a print condition, etc.) necessary for color inspection processing.
The chart specifications for when performing color inspection can be roughly divided into predetermined charts according to standards, such as International Standard Organization (ISO), and custom charts uniquely defined by the user. The predetermined charts are pre-registered prior to the start of use, for example, when a color management program is installed. Regarding the custom charts, upon accepting input of custom chart information from the console unit 106, the color inspection print job specification setting module 401 performs settings at an appropriate timing.
In addition, regarding the reference value set, allowable value set, evaluation mode, measurement condition, and print condition for when performing color inspection, conditions defined by Japan Color Certification and the like, which comply with ISO, are set. An allowable value is a threshold used when comparing a color (reference color) serving as a defined reference with a color (printed color) for when printing is actually performed by the printer and confirming that the color accuracy of the printed color satisfies the passing criteria. For example, when determination is to be made based on a difference (color difference) between a color value (reference value) of the reference color and a color value (measured value) of the printed color, a color difference value is registered as an allowable value, and if the difference is within the allowable value, it is determined that the color accuracy of the printed color satisfies the passing criteria.
In addition, when performing color inspection, the color inspection is started by the color inspection job generation module 403 to be described later generating a color inspection job upon receiving selection of a specification of a color inspection print job set in the color inspection print job specification setting module 401 and an inspection start instruction.
The UI control module 402 performs display control of a user interface screen for confirming the status of each apparatus in the color management system, inputting or selecting various setting values, and accepting an instruction to start various kinds of processing and the like. The user interface screen to be displayed will be described later with reference to
The color inspection job generation module 403 selects one or more specifications of a color inspection print job set in the color inspection print job specification setting module 401 and upon accepting an inspection start instruction, generates the color inspection job. When a plurality of color inspection print job specifications are selected and an inspection start instruction is accepted, the color inspection job generation module 403 issues a color inspection job for each color inspection print job specification. The color inspection job generation module 403 issues a color inspection job ID for each generated color inspection job.
The color inspection job generation module 403 generates a chart based on the chart specification, the measuring device that supports the selected color inspection print job specification, and the like and transmits the chart to the control apparatus 110. At this time, the color inspection job generation module 403 adds a color inspection job ID to the chart. In the embodiment, regarding the color inspection job ID, there are two types: a four-digit ID, which is repeatedly used within a short period of time and is for visual confirmation by a person and a 32-digit ID for system management by the color management apparatus 100, but the color inspection job ID is not limited thereto. Then, the color inspection chart is printed via the control apparatus 110 by a printer set in the specification of a color inspection print job.
The measurement job generation module 404 accepts the selection of one or more measurement target color inspection jobs and a measurement start instruction and generates a measurement job. At this time, the measurement job generation module 404 adds information indicating that it is a measurement job for which measurement is to be performed collectively with a plurality of jobs to the measurement target color inspection job.
In the embodiment, when a plurality of color inspection jobs issued by the color inspection job generation module 403 are designated or selected and a measurement start instruction is accepted, the measurement job generation module 404 generates one measurement job. At this time, the measurement job generation module 404 issues a measurement job ID (e.g., five digits) to the one generated measurement job. The method of generating a measurement job is only one example and is not limited thereto; for example, the same number of measurement jobs as the color inspection job may be issued, and a batch measurement ID or the like indicating that the measurement jobs are to be executed collectively may be issued separately.
The measurement control module 405 executes measurement of a chart using a measuring device. Some types of measuring devices can pre-scan a chart using a sensor mounted in the measuring device and perform, for example, automatic recognition of measurement target patches. The measurement control module 405 transmits a measurement result received from the measuring device to the color inspection processing module 406.
The color inspection processing module 406 performs processing for inspecting whether the color accuracy of the target printer has reached the passing criteria, using the measurement data received from the measurement control module 405.
The operation screen 500 includes a function card display area 501 for displaying function cards used for color management and a function display area 502 for displaying functions of a card currently selected in the function card display area 501.
First, an overview of functions available from each function card displayed in the function card display area 501 will be described. In addition, assume that function cards, such as an inspection result function card 531 and an inspection results detailed report function card 541, can be started and displayed a plurality of times if the contents of the card are based on different conditions.
In a measurement function card 521, the UI control module 402 has a function of starting a measurement job, preparing a measuring device, performing measurement, transmitting a measurement result, and the like and displays digest information, such as information on a date and time at which a measurement job was last executed, on the measurement function card 521. In the embodiment, in the measurement function, the measurement job generation module 404 collectively generates a plurality of measurement target jobs (color inspection jobs) as one measurement job. The measurement control module 405 is characterized in that measurement results are notified starting from that of a measurement target job (color inspection job) for which measurement has been completed.
In the inspection result function card 531, the color management apparatus 100 has a function of unitarily managing color inspection results of printers, and the UI control module 402 has a function of filtering for a designated target period. The UI control module 402 displays the filtered inspection result digest on the inspection result function card 531. In the embodiment, as illustrated in an inspection result function card 532, one of the features is that when a plurality of color inspection jobs are performed in one measurement job, it is possible to display a function card that can display only inspection results (number of passes/fails) of measurement targets. In the embodiment, the UI control module 402 realizes that by filtering inspection results for a measurement job ID and limiting display content; however, the present invention is not limited thereto.
In the inspection results detailed report function card 541, the UI control module 402 has a function of displaying a detailed report of inspection results of color inspection jobs and displays digest information, such as an inspection result, a quality level, a target printer, and a sheet, on the inspection results detailed report function card 541.
In a profile generation function card 551, the UI control module 402 has a function of setting a specification of a profile generation job to be used, for example, when the color inspection fails, and starting the profile generation job. The UI control module 402 displays digest information, such as information on the date and time at which the profile generation job was last executed, on the profile generation function card 551.
Next, an overview of a color inspection function screen displayed in the function display area 502 will be described with reference to
Regarding add, delete, and edit buttons 512 for a specification of a color inspection print job, a specification of a color inspection print job can be added, deleted, and edited in a color inspection print job specification list 513. In addition, by pressing a start inspection job button 514 while one or more color inspection print job specifications are selected in the color inspection print job specification list 513, a color inspection job can be started according to the selected color inspection print job specifications.
Next, an overview of a screen for a function of advanced settings for a specification of a color inspection print job will be described with reference to
Upon accepting a press of the add/edit button 512 for a color inspection print job specification on the screen of
In the color inspection print job specification advanced setting screen 601, the UI control module 402 accepts selection of a color inspection specification indicating a color inspection method, measuring device information related to a print layout of a chart, and the like in addition to a condition of a printer for which it is desired to perform color inspection and a sheet to be used for the color inspection. Regarding the various kinds of settings accepted from the UI control module 402, the color inspection print job specification setting module 401 registers the color inspection print job specification under a name designated by a “name of color inspection print job specification” 601a. In “selection of color inspection specification” 601b, assume that addition, deletion, and editing can be performed using a menu (not illustrated), and upon accepting an add/edit instruction, the UI control module 402 transitions to a color inspection specification advanced setting screen 602.
In the color inspection specification advanced setting screen 602, “selection of chart specification” 613 to be used for color inspection, “selection of reference value set” 614 and “selection of allowable value set” 615 corresponding to the chart, “selection of evaluation mode” 616 in the color inspection processing, “selection of measurement condition” 617 of the chart, “selection of print condition” 618, and the like are accepted. Regarding the various kinds of settings accepted from the UI control module 402, the color inspection print job specification setting module 401 registers the color inspection specification under a name designated by a “name of color inspection specification” 611. In the setting of each item of the color inspection specification, it is possible to add, delete, and edit using a menu (not illustrated). Upon accepting the add/edit instruction, the UI control module 402 transitions to a respective advanced setting screen as illustrated in, for example, an allowable value set setting screen 603, a measurement condition setting screen 604, and a print condition setting screen 605 of
When the “selection of allowable value set” 614 is accepted, the allowable value setting screen 603 is transitioned to, and regarding the various kinds of settings accepted from the UI control module 402, the color inspection print job specification setting module 401 registers the setting of the allowable value set under a name designated by a “name of allowable value set” 621. The UI control module 402 accepts settings, for example, for an evaluation value 622 and quality rank/pass or fail determination threshold setting 623 and 624 for when the evaluation value is used. Assume that a plurality of types of evaluation values and quality ranks can be set. For example, if the evaluation value setting is an average ΔE76, the color inspection processing module 406 calculates a value obtained by calculating for each patch a linear distance (Equation (1)) between a reference color value (value selected by the selection 614 of the reference value set) in the L*a*b* color space and a measured value obtained by measuring the chart and then taking an average. Then, a comparison is performed with a threshold setting 623 or 624 according to the quality rank. In the example of
When the “selection of measurement condition” 617 of the chart is accepted, the measurement condition setting screen 604 is transitioned to, and regarding the various kinds of settings accepted from the UI control module 402, the color inspection print job specification setting module 401 registers the setting of the measurement condition under a name designated by a “name of measurement condition” 631. The UI control module 402 accepts the settings of a white condition 632, an illumination condition 633, an illuminant 634, a view angle 635 and the like but is not limited thereto. Regarding the white condition 632, there are a “paper-white white reference” based on the white background of actual printing paper or an “absolute white reference” based on a white reference plate (white tile) of the measuring device, and therefore, either is selected. The illumination condition 633 represents “M0”, “M1”, “M2”, or “M3” specified in ISO 13655, and one is selected. Regarding the illuminant (observation light source) 634, a type of incorporated light source data for when calculating L*a*b* is selected. Examples of the type include “A”, “D50” “D65”, and the like. The view angle 635 relates to a view angle (size of object) when a person views an object, and a selection is made from “2-degree Field of view”, “10-degree Field of view”, and the like, which are specified in ISO.
When the “selection of print condition” 618 is accepted, the print condition setting screen 605 is transitioned to, and regarding the various kinds of settings accepted from the UI control module 402, the color inspection print job specification setting module 401 registers the setting of the print condition under a name designated by a “name of print condition” 641. The UI control module 402 accepts the settings of a CMYK input profile 642, a rendering intent 643, black preservation 644, black spot correction 645, and the like but is not limited thereto. When an RGB image is selected in the “selection of chart specification” 613 in the screen 602, the setting of an RGB input profile may be accepted, or the device information of the printer may be obtained and the setting items to be accepted via the screen 605 may be changed accordingly. Since these color inspection specifications are the specification settings of a target of color inspection, they are to be customized and set as appropriate according to the use case and are not limited to those described above.
In addition, the color inspection specifications are predetermined according to the type of standard certification when performing color inspection according to Japan Color certification and Fogra certification, which conform to ISO international standards. For example, the “selection of measurement condition” 617 is as illustrated in
For example, the “selection of allowable value set” 615 is as illustrated in
In addition to this, settings for the “selection of print condition” 618 and the like are also predefined, including the profile to be used. Therefore, it is assumed that the color inspection print job specification setting module 401 holds in advance the color inspection specification settings corresponding to the standard certifications.
Next, an overview of a measurement function screen displayed in the function display area 502 will be described with reference to
Then, upon accepting a press of a start measurement job button 5215 for the selected measurement target IDs or designation from the UI control module 402, the measurement job generation module 404 starts the measurement job. In the embodiment, in the measurement target selection step, one of the features is that the measurement job generation module 404 can start the measurement job in a state in which a plurality of measurement target print jobs have been collectively accepted in one measurement job. In the embodiment, print jobs to be assigned measurement targets are not limited to color inspection print jobs but need only print jobs in which measurement of a chart is necessary, such as profile generation print jobs.
Upon accepting the designation of the measuring device by the name 5221 from the UI control module 402, the measurement control module 405 makes a connection request to the target measuring device and performs, for example, calibration of the measuring device. In this way, matters related to the measuring device are prepared. Assume that the measuring device preparation step is only one example and changes according to the specifications of the measuring device. At this time, in the operation explanation area 503, an explanation for an initial operation for the designated measuring device is displayed.
In the measurement function in the measurement function card 521, the UI control module 402 can accept option settings for performing control switching in the measurement function from a measurement options button 5223. Details of a measurement option function related to the features according to the embodiments will be described later. In the embodiment, depending on the measurement function operation steps Step 1 to Step 4, the measurement options button may not be displayed as shown in
In the embodiment, one of the features of the embodiment is that by generating the measurement step of Step 3 for each measurement target print job ID, and the step numbers (1-3 in
In the embodiment, one of the features of the embodiment is that since the measurement step of Step 3 is divided for each measurement target print job ID, the UI control module 402 performs notation by which an operation status (not completed or completed, etc.) of Step 3 can be determined as in
In the transmission step of Step 3-2, the current operation step item area 5212 includes a comment field 5241 for the measurement target print job. Upon accepting a press of a transmit button 5242 from the UI control module 402, the measurement control module 405 transmits a measurement job ID, a color inspection job ID, information of the comment field 5241, a patch measurement result, and the like to the color inspection processing module 406.
In the transmission step of Step 3-2, the UI control module 402 performs screen transition to the next measurement target print job without waiting for a transmission completion notification for the measurement target print job for which transmission has been executed and enters a state in which the measurement control module 405 can perform measurement. This is also one of the features of the embodiment.
Thus, one of the features of the embodiment is that the patch measurement result can be transmitted without waiting for completion of measurement of all measurement target print jobs. In the embodiment, the patch measurement result is transmitted in units of measurement target print job IDs but it is not limited thereto. It need only be that the patch measurement result can transmitted to the color inspection processing module 406 in units such that the color inspection processing, which is a subsequent process, can be started without waiting for completion of measurement of all measurement target print jobs. Although the color inspection processing has been given as an example of a subsequent process, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the subsequent process may be printer profile generation processing.
Depending on the use case, a transmission control switching setting, which has good work efficiency, may be provided. For example, in the embodiment, a measurement option screen 5243, which is activated upon receiving a press of the measurement options 5223 from the UI control module 402, is provided.
One of the features of the embodiment is that upon receiving the setting via the measurement option screen 5243 of
When a setting of “manually transmit measurement result as appropriate for each measurement target ID” is accepted in the transmission control options 5244, the UI control module 402 divides the measurement step of Step 3 into two sub-steps, the measurement step of Step 3-1 and the transmission step of Step 3-2, for each measurement target ID. The measurement control module 405 accepts a press of the transmit button 5242 from the UI control module 402 in the transmission step of Step 3-2 for each measurement target ID. Upon accepting a press of the transmit button 5242, the measurement control module 405 transmits a measurement job ID, a color inspection job ID, information of the comment field 5241, a patch measurement result, and the like that are associated with the measurement target ID to the color inspection processing module 406.
When a setting of “automatically transmit measurement result as appropriate for each measurement target ID” is accepted in the transmission control options 5244, the UI control module 402 does not provide sub-steps in the measurement step of Step 3. Upon accepting the patch measurement completion for a respective measurement target ID, the measurement control module 405 automatically transmits a measurement job ID, a color inspection job ID, comment information based on the automatic transmission registration comments 5245, a patch measurement result, and the like to the color inspection processing module 406 as appropriate.
When a setting of “manually transmit measurement results at end” is accepted in the transmission control options 5244, the UI control module 402 does not provide sub-steps in the measurement step of Step 3. The measurement control module 405 does not transmit a measurement result for each measurement target ID.
A configuration in which the above transmission control options 5244 can be set differently depending on a measurement function usage condition 5246, such as “enable only when plural measurement targets are selected” or “enable only when automatic feeding unit is in use”, may be taken. As illustrated in
Next, the automatic transmission registration comments 5245 will be described. The automatic transmission registration comments 5245 describes a function related to comments that are automatically added when the measurement control module 405 automatically transmits the measurement result of a measurement target ID to the color inspection processing module 406. It is assumed that measuring device information, transmission control option information, and desired comments can be selected and registered but are not limited thereto, and one of the features of the embodiment is that a setting for automatically obtaining and adding information to be to be confirmed in the operation step related to the measurement function is provided. In
Next, a measurement completion step of Step 4 will be described with reference to
The measurement completion step illustrated in
The measurement completion step illustrated in
Furthermore, in the measurement completion step of
When a press of the complete measurement job button 5251 is accepted while there is a measurement target ID for which measurement is not completed or transmission is in progress, the UI control module 402 displays a warning 5252 for discarding an incomplete measurement target job as illustrated in
Finally, in the measurement control module 405 of
Next, an overview of an inspection result screen displayed in the function display area 502 will be described with reference to
One of features of the embodiment is that upon receiving that a measurement job ID is set in a target range filter 5323, the UI control module 402 extracts from the measurement targets only the color inspection jobs corresponding to the designated measurement job ID and displays the color inspection result list 5324. In addition, the color inspection result list 5324 displays the status (pass, fail, measurement in progress, measurement not completed, etc.) related to each color inspection job ID. The target range filter 5323 is not limited to the measurement job ID and need only be information that is associated with the measurement job ID.
Upon is accepting the measurement result of a color inspection job from the measurement control module 405, the color inspection processing module 406 starts the color inspection processing. In the embodiment, since the measurement control module 405 can transmit the measurement result as appropriate for each measurement target ID, there is a status in which the color inspection processing module 406 has not received the measurement result of a color inspection job. Therefore, assume that the UI control module 402 includes the display of a measurement in progress status in the color inspection result list 5324, which has been filtered for the measurement job ID, and the inspection result function card 532. When the measurement control module 405 closes a measurement job while the measurement result corresponding to a respective color inspection job ID has not been transmitted, the UI control module 402 displays a status, such as measurement not completed, in the inspection result list 5324. Assume that the UI control module 402 periodically confirms the statuses related to the color inspection job IDs and updates the display.
In S701, the color inspection print job specification setting module 401 sets the specifications of a color inspection print job based on a user input accepted from the UI control module 402. Here, assume that the color inspection print job specification 1 for the printer 1 (130a) (plain paper), which is a target of color inspection, and the color inspection print job specification 2 for the printer 2 (130b) (coated paper), which is a target of color inspection, have been set as illustrated in
Next, in S702, upon receiving a press of the start inspection job button 514 while the color inspection print job specification 1 and the color inspection print job specification 2 are designated from the UI control module 402 as indicated in
Next, the color inspection job generation module 403 issues a color inspection job ID “5501” to the color inspection print job specification 1 and a color inspection job ID “5502” to the color inspection print job specification 2, as shown in
A reference numeral 801 denotes a page number of the chart, and if the chart used for color inspection is constituted by a plurality of pages, the number of the page number 801 is incremented. A reference numeral 802 denotes a color inspection job ID. The color inspection job ID 802 is an ID value that is designated as a measurement target ID to be set as a measurement target when generating a measurement job. Here, an ID “5501” corresponding to the color inspection print job specification 1 is set. A reference numeral 803 denotes patches and is constituted by signal values based on a chart specification included in the color inspection print job specification. In addition, a patch size and a patch arrangement are made to be such that measurement by the designated measuring device is possible based on the measuring device and print layout information included in the color inspection print job specification.
In S703, the control apparatus 110 generates a print job based on a printer, sheet information, and print condition information included in the color inspection print job specification of the received color inspection job and transmits the print job to the target printer. In the embodiment, a print job is transmitted to the printer 1 (130a) and the printer 2 (130b).
In S704, upon receiving a print job in this way, the printer 130a performs print processing based on the print job and outputs a chart. In S705, upon receiving a print job in this way, the printer 130b performs print processing based on the print job and outputs a chart.
Next, in S706, upon receiving a press of the start measurement job button 5215 from the UI control module 402 while a plurality of measurement target IDs (color inspection job IDs: 5501 and 5502) are being designated as illustrated in
The measurement job generation module 404 issues one measurement job ID “10001” for a plurality of measurement target IDs (color inspection job IDs: 5501 and 5502), as shown in
Next, in S707, the control apparatus 110 searches for a measuring device to be connected to the control apparatus 110 based on measuring device information included in the received color inspection print job specification as illustrated in
The measurement of charts using the measuring device 150a is thus started. First, in S708, the control apparatus 110 performs processing for prompting the user to measure a chart to which the measurement target ID is assigned as illustrated in
Next, in S709, the control apparatus 110 instructs the measuring device 150a to measure the charts. By this, in S710, the measuring device 150a measures the charts. In S711, the measuring device 150a notifies the control apparatus 110 of the measurement results of the charts. The chart measurement instruction to the measuring device 150a, the chart measurement by the measuring device 150a, and the notification of the measurement result to the control apparatus 110 performed in from S709 to S711 are only one example. Assume that, depending on the measuring device and the measurement condition, units in which the measurement result is notified, such as units of patches, units of patch rows, and units of pages, change in addition to the method of issuing an instruction to the measuring device and the measurement method.
Next, upon receiving a setting of the transmission control options 5244 illustrated in
First, a case where the color management apparatus 100 and the control apparatus 110 execute from S712 to S714, which is one of the features of the embodiment, will be described.
In S712, upon receiving a press the transmit button 5242 corresponding to a target measurement target ID from the UI control module 402 as illustrated in
Subsequently, in S713, the color management apparatus 100 executes the color inspection processing based on the received measurement result of the color inspection job ID and the specification information of the color inspection print job associated with the color inspection job ID. In S714, among the color inspection jobs included in the measurement job, the color management apparatus 100 reflects the color inspection jobs as appropriate in the display of color inspection results starting from those whose inspection result has been outputted, as illustrated in
In the embodiment, the notification of the measurement result from the control apparatus 110 to the color management apparatus 100 in S712 is performed for each measurement target ID, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a configuration may be such that the measurement result notification to the color management apparatus 100 is performed in small units, such as units of patches and the color management apparatus 100 starts the color inspection processing as appropriate when the measurement result is received in units of color inspection job IDs.
Thus, a color manager or a production supervisor can confirm the inspection result screen of the color management apparatus 100 while collectively conducting color inspection job measuring work. Thus, it is possible to confirm a printer in which the color inspection has been completed first and start the production of commercial printed items by using the confirmed printer.
Next, the processing in which the color management apparatus 100 and the control apparatus 110 execute S715 to S717 according to a setting of the transmission control options 5244 will be described.
In S715 to S717, units in which the measurement results are notified from the control apparatus 110 to the color management apparatus 100 in S715 are different from the case of S712 to S714. In S715, the control apparatus 110 collectively notifies the color management apparatus 100 of the measurement results of all the measurement target IDs included in the measurement job at the end as illustrated in
In S716, the color management apparatus 100 executes the color inspection processing based on all the received measurement results of the color inspection job ID and the specification information of the color inspection print job associated with the color inspection job ID. In S717, among the color inspection jobs included in the measurement job, the color management apparatus 100 reflects the color inspection jobs as appropriate in the display of color inspection results starting from those whose inspection result has been outputted, as illustrated in
Finally, in S718, the color management apparatus 100 displays the inspection result of the measurement target ID included in the measurement job and the status indicating the measurement status, for example, as illustrated in
Assume that, in the present embodiment, the complete measurement job button 5251 has both a function of transmitting a measurement result whose status is measurement completed and which has not been transmitted and a function of completing the measurement job. Therefore, in the case of settings in which S715 to S717 are to be executed, in S715, upon receiving a press of the complete measurement job button 5251 from the UI control module 402, the color management apparatus 100 executes the processing of S715 and S718. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the function of transmitting the measurement result and the function of completing the measurement job may be divided. In that case, in S715, the transmit button 5242 of
The above is the flow of the entire processing in the color management system according to the embodiment. In the embodiment, the measurement target is a color inspection job, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a profile generation chart generated by a profile generation job generation module (not illustrated), which corrects the colors of the printer, may be used as a measurement target.
First, in step S901, the CPU 101 sets the specification of the color inspection print job as described in, for example, the above
Next, the processing proceeds to step S905, and the CPU 101 generates a print job based on a printer, a sheet, and print condition information included in the color inspection print job specification of the color inspection job. The processing proceeds to step S906, and the CPU 101 transmits that print job to a target printer designated in the color inspection print job specification.
Next, the processing proceeds to step S907, and the CPU 101 determines whether a press of the start measurement job button 5215 has been received in a state in which a plurality of measurement target IDs are designated as illustrated in the above
Next, the processing proceeds to step S911 in
Meanwhile, in step S911, of a setting of the transmission control options 5244 is the setting “manually transmit measurement results at end”, the processing proceeds to step S917. In step S917, the CPU 101 determines whether the complete measurement job button 5251 has been pressed. In step S917, when the complete measurement job button 5251 is not pressed, the processing proceeds to step S918, and the CPU 101 makes a transition of a screen of the measuring work related to a measurement target ID included in the measurement job and performs the chart measuring work using the measuring device. Then, in step S917, when the complete measurement job button 5251 is pressed, the processing proceeds to step S919, and the CPU 101 collectively obtains the measurement results of all measurement target IDs included in that measurement job at the end of the measurement job. The processing proceeds to step S920, and the CPU 101 executes the color inspection processing based on the measurement data of the color inspection job ID and the specification information of the color inspection print job associated with the color inspection job ID. Then, the processing proceeds to step S921, and the CPU 101 displays the determination information (color inspection result or processing status) of color inspection job IDs included in the measurement job ID as illustrated in
As described above, according to the embodiment, it is possible to consecutively measure the charts of a plurality of color inspection jobs in one measurement job, and thus, efficient measuring work is possible. Then, by conducting as appropriate color inspection processing based on the measurement result of each color inspection job, it is possible to confirm the inspection result starting from the color inspection job for which measurement is completed, without waiting for completion of chart measurement of all color inspection jobs included in that measurement job. This makes it possible to achieve both efficiency of measuring work and a state in which inspection results can be confirmed as appropriate from those for which measurement is completed.
Embodiments of the present disclosure can also be realized by a computer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computer executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a ‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments and/or that includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments, and by a method performed by the computer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out and executing the computer executable instructions from the storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments. The computer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network of separate computers or separate processors to read out and execute the computer executable instructions. The computer executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or the storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or more of a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™), a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.
While the present disclosure includes exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-042320, filed Mar. 16, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-042320 | Mar 2023 | JP | national |
