Claims
- 1. A method for characterizing the performance of a device, comprising the following steps:
- (a) providing a printed symbol containing a control pattern, said printed symbol having been generated with a printer;
- (b) generating a pixel image of said printed symbol with imaging means, wherein said pixel image contains an imaged control pattern;
- (c) locating said imaged control pattern in said pixel image using a computer processor;
- (d) run-length encoding said imaged control pattern using the computer processor to generate a run-length-encoded imaged control pattern;
- (e) calculating a quality measure using the computer processor, said quality measure being a function of said run-length-encoded imaged control pattern and a run-length-encoded representation of a defined control pattern; and
- (f) characterizing the performance of said device in accordance with said quality measure using the computer processor, wherein said device is one of said printer and said imaging means.
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said quality measure comprises a correlation coefficient between said run-length-encoded imaged control pattern and said run-length-encoded representation.
- 3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c), comprises the steps of:
- (1) thresholding said imaged control pattern to generate a binary imaged control pattern; and
- (2) run-length encoding said binary imaged control pattern to generate said run-length-encoded imaged control pattern.
- 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said run-length-encoded representation of said defined control pattern is a pre-distorted run-length-encoded representation of said defined control pattern.
- 5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) comprises the steps of:
- (1) generating a representation of said defined control pattern;
- (2) distorting said representation;
- (3) run-length encoding said distorted representation to generate a run-length encoded distorted representation;
- (4) if said imaged control pattern is not a binary image, then thresholding said imaged control pattern to generate a binary imaged control pattern; and
- (5) run-length encoding said binary imaged control pattern, wherein said run-length-encoded imaged control pattern is a run-length-encoded binary imaged control pattern; and wherein:
- the function is a correlation coefficient between said run-length-encoded binary imaged control pattern and said run-length-encoded distorted representation.
- 6. An apparatus for characterizing the performance of a device, comprising:
- (a) imaging means for generating pixel images; and
- (b) a computer processor, wherein:
- the imaging means generates a pixel image of a printed symbol, said printed symbol having been generated with a printer and said pixel image containing an imaged control pattern;
- the computer processor locates said imaged control pattern in said pixel image;
- the computer processor run-length encodes said imaged control pattern to generate a run-length-encoded imaged control pattern;
- the computer processor calculates a quality measure, said quality measure being a function of said run-length-encoded imaged control pattern and a run-length-encoded representation of a defined control pattern; and
- the computer processor characterizes the performance of said device in accordance with said quality measure, wherein said device is one of said printer and said imaging means.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said quality measure comprises a correlation coefficient between said run-length-encoded imaged control pattern and said run-length-encoded representation.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said computer processor:
- thresholds said imaged control pattern to generate a binary imaged control pattern; and
- run-length encodes said binary imaged control pattern to generate said run-length-encoded imaged control pattern.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said computer processor calculates said quality measure, said quality measure being a function of said run-length-encoded imaged control pattern and a pre-distorted run-length-encoded representation of said defined control pattern.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said computer processor:
- generates a representation of said defined control pattern;
- distorts said representation;
- run-length encodes said distorted representation;
- thresholds said imaged control pattern to generate a binary imaged control pattern, if said imaged control pattern is not a binary image;
- run-length encodes said binary imaged control pattern; and
- calculates said quality-measure value, said quality measure comprising a correlation coefficient between said run-length-encoded binary imaged control pattern and said run-length-encoded distorted representation.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/295,142 filed on Aug. 24, 1994, now abandoned which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/028,308 filed Mar. 9, 1993, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (12)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0403376 |
Dec 1990 |
EPX |
0414454 |
Feb 1991 |
EPX |
2704338 |
Oct 1994 |
FRX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 14 No. 231 (M-0974), 16 May 1990 & JP,A,02 060785 (Omron Tateisi Electron Co.) 1 Mar. 1990. |
Continuations (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
295142 |
Aug 1994 |
|
Parent |
28308 |
Mar 1993 |
|