Apparatus and methods for monitoring operation of a printing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9229664-B2
Application number	US-201414340122-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2014
Priority date	Mar 5, 2012
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

User-related features of a printing system are disclosed herein. Some embodiments relate to a time-line GUI for visualizing and/or manipulating queued print jobs which may be employed. Some embodiments relate to a reversed augmented reality GUI for visualization and/or control of the printing system. In some embodiments, a display screen is mounted to a printer housing and/or able to control access to moving parts of a printing system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of monitoring the operation state of a printing system comprising (i) a real-world image forming apparatus configured to form ink image(s) on a real-world surface of a real-world rotating intermediate transfer member according to contents of an image database, (ii) a real-world substrate transport system defining a real-world substrate path and interacting with the intermediate transfer member at a real-world image transfer location where the formed ink images located on and rotating with the intermediate transfer member are transferred to a substrate, the method comprising:
a. retrieving digital image representations from the image database;
b. displaying simultaneously on a display device:
i. a graphical representation of the real-world rotating intermediate transfer member having a graphically-represented surface;
ii. a graphical representation of the substrate transport system including a graphical representation of the real-world image transfer location; and
iii. a graphical animation of the database-retrieved images in motion on the graphically-represented surface of the representation of the intermediate transfer member;

c. operating a camera to acquire a video stream of a real-world location on the real-world substrate path as the real-world substrate, bearing ink image(s), moves along the substrate path through the real-world location on the real-world substrate path; and
d. simultaneous with the displaying of the graphical representations of the intermediate transfer member and of the substrate transport system, displaying on the display screen the camera-acquired video stream of the real-world location through which the real-world substrate bearing ink image(s) moves, wherein the video stream is superimposed over the graphical representation of the substrate transport system in a location that corresponds, within the graphical representation of the substrate transport system, to the real-world location on the real-world substrate path.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein (i) the method further comprises monitoring operation of the printing system to assess which images are substantially-current images that are currently resident on the rotating intermediate transfer member or are queued for formation on the rotating intermediate transfer member in the near future; and (ii) the digital image representations that are retrieved from the database and animated on the surface of the representation of the intermediate transfer member are the substantially-current images.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein (i) the method further comprises monitoring an image print queue of the printing system and (ii) the digital image representations that are retrieved from the database and animated on the surface of the representation of the intermediate transfer member are those in the image print queue of the printing system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more mechanical or magnetic or optical or thermal sensors monitor one or more operating parameter(s) of the printing system and wherein the animation is carried out in accordance with the results of the monitoring of the operating parameter(s).

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the animation is contingent upon detected rotational motion of the intermediate transfer member.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the superimposed video stream is re-oriented and/or re-scaled so as to match an orientation and/or scale of the graphical representation of the substrate transport system.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein a plurality of cameras acquire a respective plurality of video streams of the real-world substrate bearing ink image(s) in motion along the substrate path, each camera acquiring images of the real-world substrate when located at a different respective location along the substrate path, each video stream being displayed in a respective location and orientation that correspond to their respective real-world counterparts.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the animation of the in-motion images is synchronizing with the video stream ink images residing on the real-world substrate of the video stream.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the displaying of the animation is performed so that at least one image displayed in the graphical animation is subjected to a curvature-modifying geometric mapping so that the curvature of the image matches a local curvature of the graphical representation of the intermediate transfer member.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the displaying of the animation is performed so that a curvature of the animated image changes as it travels between locations on the graphical representation of the intermediate transfer member having different surface curvatures.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphical representation of the substrate transport system includes a graphical representation of one or more cylinder(s) thereof, the displayed cylinder(s) being animated to illustrate rotation thereof.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the animated images that are displayed in motion match the real-world images on the real-world intermediate transfer member and are mirror-images of the real-world ink images on the real-world substrate.

13. A printing system operative with a display device, the printing system comprising:
a. a real-world image forming apparatus configured to form ink image(s) on real-world surface of a real-world rotating intermediate transfer member according to contents of an image database;
b. a real-world substrate transport system defining a real-world substrate path and interacting with the intermediate transfer member at a real-world image transfer location where the formed ink images located on and rotating with the intermediate transfer member are transferred to a real-world substrate;
c. a camera being aimed at a real-world location on the substrate path to acquire a video stream of the real-world substrate as the real-world substrate, bearing ink image(s), moves through the real-world location on the real-world substrate path; and
d. electronic circuitry operative to (i) retrieve digital image representations from the image database; and (ii) cause the display device to simultaneously display:
A. a graphical representation of the real-world rotating intermediate transfer member and;
B. a graphical representation of the substrate transport system including a graphic representation of the real-world image transfer location;
C. a graphical animation of the database-retrieved images in motion on the graphically-represented surface of the representation of the intermediate transfer member; and
D. the camera-acquired video stream of the real-world substrate bearing ink image(s) moving along the substrate path through the real-world location thereon, the video stream being superimposed over the graphical representation of the substrate transport system in a location that corresponds, within the graphical representation of the substrate transport system, to the real-world location on the real-world substrate path.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the animated digital images are selected and retrieved from the image database in accordance with an image print queue of the printing system and/or in a manner that synchronizes with the video stream ink images residing on the real-world substrate of the video stream.

15. A method of monitoring operation of a printing system that includes a target set of one or more printing device(s) to which a plurality of print-jobs are queued for execution, the method comprising:
a. for each print job of the plurality of queued print-jobs, computing or receivi

Assignees

• Landa Corp Ltd

Inventors

• Landa Benzion
• Stiglic Dragan
• Harburger Amit
• Tal Elisha Avram

Classifications

• G06F3/1207 Primary

  resulting in the user being informed about print result after a job submission · CPC title

• G06F3/1258

  by updating job settings at the printer · CPC title

• G06F3/1211 Primary

  Improving printing performance · CPC title

• G06F3/1286

  via local network · CPC title

• G06F3/1259

  Print job monitoring, e.g. job status · CPC title