Printing apparatus, control method, printing system, and storage medium determining ink color for printing code by excluding ink color satisfying a condition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11765304-B2
Application number	US-202217891254-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2022
Priority date	Aug 20, 2021
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

There is provided a printing apparatus including an obtaining unit configured to obtain print data in which in imposition image data in which one or more images are imposed in a print region, a code for identifying each image in the imposition image data is embedded; a determination unit configured to determine an ink color to be used to print the code by excluding an ink color satisfying a predetermined condition from candidates for the ink color to be used to print the code; and a print control unit configured to print the code based on the print data obtained by the obtaining unit using a plurality of nozzle arrays for the ink color determined by the determination unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus comprising:
an obtaining unit configured to obtain print data in which in imposition image data in which one or more images are imposed in a print region, a code for identifying each image in the imposition image data is embedded;
a determination unit configured to determine an ink color to be used to print the code by excluding an ink color satisfying a predetermined condition from candidates for the ink color to be used to print the code; and
a print control unit configured to print the code based on the print data obtained by the obtaining unit using a plurality of nozzle arrays for the ink color determined by the determination unit.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nozzle arrays include nozzle arrays for different ink colors.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nozzle arrays include a nozzle array for discharging an invisible ink.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined condition includes occurrence of nozzle trouble in a printing position of the code.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the nozzle trouble occurs due to a defect in the nozzle.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined condition includes deviation of the printing position of the code by a predetermined value or more.

7. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit determines the ink color to be used to print the code regardless of a pixel value of an image in the imposition image data.

8. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit determines the ink color to be used to print the code regardless of a color mode of printing the print data.

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit determines a plurality of ink color candidates to be used to print the code.

10. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the code is printed at such a density that the code can be read even in a state where any of the plurality of ink color candidates lacks or a state where part of the nozzle arrays lack.

11. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an ink amount of each ink color for printing the code is determined based on a stage where a pattern for ink amount determination printed at multiple levels of densities is successfully read.

12. The printing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the pattern for ink amount determination is created with reference to a look-up table in which a value of a signal value CMYK for each ink color is associated with a value obtained by converting the ink color into a signal value RGB.

13. The printing apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein in a case where the code includes an ink color which cannot be recognized normally, an appropriate channel of the signal value RGB is selected to recognize the code.

14. The printing apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein in a case where the region where the code is printed includes a region in a state where the nozzle array is not recognized normally, an appropriate channel of the signal value RGB for each region is selected to recognize the code.

15. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nozzle arrays are different nozzle arrays for an identical ink color.

16. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit determines that a number of ink colors to be used to print the code is one.

17. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an inspection unit configured to read a printed subject on which the code is printed to perform an inspection using the code.

18. The printing apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the inspection unit performs image processing on a predetermined region including the region where the code is printed in the printed subject.

19. A method of controlling a printing apparatus, the method comprising:
obtaining print data in which in imposition image data in which one or more images are imposed in a print region, a code for identifying each image in the imposition image data is embedded;
determining an ink color to be used to print the code by excluding an ink color satisfying a predetermined condition from candidates for the ink color to be used to print the code; and
controlling printing of the code based on the print data obtained by the obtaining using a plurality of nozzle arrays for the ink color determined by the determining.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program which causes a computer to comprise:
an obtaining unit configured to obtain print data in which in imposition image data in which one or more images are imposed in a print region, a code for identifying each image in the imposition image data is embedded;
a determination unit configured to determine an ink color to be used to print the code by excluding an ink color satisfying a predetermined condition from candidates for the ink color to be used to print the code; and
a print control unit configured to print the code based on the print data obtained by the obtaining unit using a plurality of nozzle arrays for the ink color determined by the determination unit.

21. A printing system comprising an information processing device and a printing apparatus,
the information processing device comprising:
a code generation unit configured to generate a code for identifying each image in imposition image data in which one or more images are imposed in a print region;
a print data generation unit configured to generate print data such that the code is arranged based on the code generation unit; and
an output unit configured to output to the printing apparatus the print data generated by the print data generation unit,

the printing apparatus comprising:
an obtaining unit configured to obtain the print data in which the code is embedded;
a determination unit configured to determine an ink color to be used to print the code by excluding an ink color satisfying a predetermined condition from candidates for the ink color to be used to print the code;
a print control unit configured to print the code based on the print data obtained by the obtaining unit using a plurality of nozzle arrays for the ink color determined by the determination unit; and
an inspection unit configured to read a printed subject to perform an inspection using the code.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Tanaka Wakako
• Nakamura Takashi
• Sumi Naoki

Classifications

• B41J2/2114

  Ejecting specialized liquids, e.g. transparent or processing liquids (B41J2/211 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04N1/32309 Primary

  in colour image data · CPC title

• H04N1/6008 Primary

  with primary colour signals, e.g. RGB or CMY(K) · CPC title

• G06K15/1823

  for evaluating the resources needed, e.g. rasterizing time, ink, paper stock · CPC title

• G06K15/027

  Test patterns and calibration (arrangements for controlling or analysing printing mechanisms of typewriters or selective printing units B41J29/393 takes precedence; colour correction using test pattern analysis in general H04N1/6033) · CPC title