Patent Publication Number: US-2019191058-A1

Title: Printer adjustment based upon image display environment illumination

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Printers are typically provided with default operational parameters controlling how ink or other printing materials are applied to a print medium when printing an image. Such default operational parameters are typically based upon lighting having a color temperature of 5000 K. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an example printing system. 
         FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of an example method for adjusting operational parameters of a printing device based upon illumination data for a display environment. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of an example printing system. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of an example printing system. 
         FIG. 5  is in a schematic diagram of an example printing system. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram of an example printing system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES 
     Operational parameters of printers control how ink or other printing materials are applied to the print medium when printing an image. Printers are typically provided with default operational parameters that are based upon lighting having a color temperature of 5000 Kelvin (K). Color temperature refers to the overall color of the lighting source. The images printed by such printers and their default operational parameters are not well-suited for being displayed or presented in many lighting environments. 
     The present disclosure describes various printing systems that adjust or change the operational parameters of the printer itself based upon illumination data for the environment in which the image is to be displayed or presented, independent of the lighting conditions present when the image was captured or the lighting conditions present for the printer printing the image. The same captured digital image may be differently printed by the same printer for display in different environments. In addition, adjustments of the operational parameters of a printer for a particular display environment may be applied in a blanket fashion to all images to be displayed in the particular display environment. Because the operational parameters of the printer itself are adjusted, rather than the captured digital image being adjusted, the original captured digital image may be preserved. Moreover because such illumination adjustments are made “further downstream” at the printer level by adjusting the operational parameters of the printer itself, rather than making illumination adjustments at the captured image level, such adjustments for a given image display environment may precisely take into account particular printing characteristics of the printer itself that is actually printing the image. A single printing correction may be applied. 
     By maintaining the original image and applying the color correction at the printing stage, the example printing systems allow an original image to be printed with customized color correction for multiple display locations, thereby enhancing the color settings for one or more destinations that will display the image. The technique may be applied to all forms of printing, including, but not limited to ink, toner, liquid toner, wax, digital, analog and the like. In one implementation, the technique is employed on a digital printing device that has the ability to dynamically adjust the print color settings on a per page or per image basis, thus enabling any image on any printed page to have it&#39;s color customized such that a given image color management will be enhanced for it&#39;s target display environment. 
       FIG. 1  schematically illustrates an example printing system  20 . As will be described hereafter, printing system  20  adjusts or changes the operational parameters of the printer itself based upon illumination data for the environment in which the image is to be displayed or presented, independent of where the image was captured, independent of the circumstances in which the image was generated (such as on a computer) or independent of where the image is being printed. Printing system  20  comprises a printer operational parameter adjustment controller  24  for use with a printing device  28 . 
     Printing device  28  comprises a device that deposits the printing material or applies a printing material onto a print medium. Printing device  28  may comprise any of a variety of different printing devices employing different printing mechanisms for forming an image on a print medium. For example, printing device  28  may comprise a device that deposits ink or device that deposits toner onto a print medium. Such printing devices have operational parameters that control how the printing material, such as ink or toner, is deposited or applied to the print medium. In one implementation, printing device  28  may comprise a digital printing press 
     Controller  24  adjusts the operational parameters (OP) of printing device  28  by outputting control signals which are transmitted to printing device  28 . Controller  24  comprises processing unit  32  and memory  36 . For purposes of this application, the term “processing unit” shall mean a presently developed or future developed computing hardware that executes sequences of instructions contained in a memory, such as memory  36 . Execution of the sequences of instructions causes the processing unit to perform steps such as generating control signals. The instructions may be loaded in a random access memory (RAM) for execution by the processing unit from a read only memory (ROM), a mass storage device, or some other persistent storage. In other embodiments, hard wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement the functions described. For example, controller  24  may be embodied as part of one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Unless otherwise specifically noted, the controller is not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software, nor to any particular source for the instructions executed by the processing unit. 
     Memory  36  comprises a non-transitory computer readable medium that contains instructions for directing processor  32  to carry out method  100  described with respect to  FIG. 2 . Although method  100  is described with respect to printing system  20 , method  100  may be carried out by any of the rating system described hereafter. As indicated by block  104  in  FIG. 2 , the instructions contained in memory  36  direct processor  32  to acquire or receive illumination data  40  for a display environment, the first environment in which the captured image is to be presented or displayed. 
     As shown by  FIG. 1 , the captured image to be printed may be in the form of image data  42 . The image data  42  has associated lighting characteristics that are the result of the environment in which the image was captured, capture environment  44 . Capture environment  44  has illumination or lighting characteristics that are distinct from the illumination or lighting characteristics of display environment  48 , the environment in which the image to be printed is to be presented or displayed. 
     For example, a digital photograph may be captured at a first location with first lighting conditions. The first lighting conditions will result in image data  42 , wherein the digital values for the individual pixels of the digital image will depend upon the first lighting conditions at the time that the digital photograph was taken. A print of the digital photograph may be displayed or presented under completely different second lighting conditions. For example, the print of the digital photograph may be displayed at a different location having different ambient light or different controlled lighting as compared to the first lighting conditions. In some circumstances, the print of the digital photograph may be displayed in the same location that the digital photograph was taken, but under different lighting conditions then those lighting conditions that were present when the digital photograph was taken. 
     As indicated by block  108  in  FIG. 2 , controller  24  adjusts the operational parameters of printing device  28 , the printer, based upon the illumination data for the first environment, display environment  48 , when printing using the image data  42 . As shown by  1 , the display environment  48 , the lighting conditions of display environment  48 , are different than the environment in which the image is actually being printed. Although the printing device  28  may be located in a printing environment having particular lighting conditions, controller  24  adjusts the operational parameters of printing device  28 , not based upon the lighting conditions that exist for the printer, but based upon the lighting conditions that will be present in display environment  48  when the printed image  50  is to be displayed. For example, a digital photograph may be taken under low light conditions and printed by a printer residing in environment having low light conditions. Despite such image capture and printing environments having low light conditions, controller  24  may provide printer operational parameter adjustments  52  to printing device  28  that alter the operational parameters of printing device  28  such that the printed image  50  has illumination characteristics that enhance the presentation of printed image  50  under bright conditions, such as when printed image  50  is showcased by a spotlight. 
     Adjustments for an image, page or print job job may include, but are not limited to: ICC (International Color Consotium) Profile, Color LUT (Look Up Table), hue, contrast, luminance, etc. . . . . In a digital printer, where each image, page and/or job can be processed differently on-the-fly, in real-time, the application of color management settings is for a given display environment. An example of a commercially available digital printing press that can process images, pages and jobs in this fashion is the HP Indigo Digital Press. 
       FIG. 3  schematically illustrates an example printing system  220 . Printing system  220  is similar to printing system  20  described above except that printing system  220  additionally comprises database (DB)  260  and display/input device  262 . Those remaining components of printing system  220  which correspond to components of printing system  20  are numbered similarly. 
     Database  260  comprises a memory storing display illumination profiles for different display environments. In the example illustrated, database  260  stores display illumination profiles  266  for different display environments (DE 1 , DE 2 , DE 3  . . . DE n ). Each display illumination profile  266  comprises at least one lighting value or piece of lighting data for the particular display environment. For example, each display illumination profile  266  may include information such as a relative spectral power distribution associated with a lighting source in the environment or lighting sources themselves. A color profile may contain data in the form of CIE (Commission International de l&#39;Eclairage or International Commission on Illumination) try stimulus values (XYZ) which serve to represent relative spectral power distribution or other characteristic data of a particular lumen or light source in a viewing environment. Each display illumination profile may include information such as aluminate conditions such as daylight, fluorescent lighting, incandescent lighting, halogen lighting or the like. In another implementation, rather than each display illumination profile  266  being based upon the light source itself, each display illumination profile  266  may instead or additionally comprise sensed lighting or illumination data taken in the associated display environment. For example, such data may be acquired using an optical spectrometer that measures properties of life the location in which the ultimate printed image is to be presented or displayed. Such data is associated with the particular display environment and stored in database  260 . 
     The display illumination profiles  266  stored in database  260  may be associated with different geographic locations, different physical locations at the same geographic location or with respect to different display times at the same physical location or the same geographic location. For example, different geographic locations may have different associated lighting conditions. Different locations at the same geographic location, such as different locations in one room may have different lighting conditions. Depending upon the time of day or time of year, the same geographic location or even the same physical location may have different lighting conditions. For example, depending upon the location of windows in a room, a certain wall in the room may experience different lighting conditions depending upon the time of day as well as the time of year (fall, spring, summer or the particular month). The different display illumination profiles  266  may take into account what times of the day the printed image will be presented for viewing. The different display illumination profiles may take an account whether the printed image was presented in the fall in a particular room or at a particular geographic location or whether the printed image will be presented in the spring or summer, where controller  24  adjust the operational parameters of printing device  28  based upon the particular display illumination profile to adjust operational printing device  28  to fine tune the characteristics of the printed image for enhanced viewing of the printed image. 
     In one implementation, database  260  may comprise multiple different display illumination profiles  266  for the same physical location at different times of the day, multiple different display illumination profiles  266  for the same physical location at different times of the year or different months, multiple different display illumination profiles  266  for the same physical location at different times of the day and different times of the year, and multiple different display illumination profile  266  for different geographic locations, each geographic location having multiple associated display illumination profiles for different times of the year, each different time of the year having multiple different display illumination profiles for different times of the day. In some implementations, the lighting condition for a particular physical location may be controllable by the end-user, such as when a user has the ability to adjust the illumination of the printed image by adjusting the power output of a light source. In such an implementation, database  260  may comprise a different display illumination profile  266  for each of the illumination settings available for selection by the end-user at the particular physical location. 
     In one implementation, values for different illumination data or lighting data may be taken or acquired using a light sensing device, such as with a spectral photometer, at a particular geographic location, a particular physical location and/or different times of the day or times of the year. The illumination or lighting data may be stored in digital files along with metadata identifying non-lighting characteristics of display environment such as geographic coordinates, vertical height, wall location, time of year that measurements were taken and/or time of day that measurements were taken. In one implementation, the metadata is input by the user capturing the lighting data. In one implementation, at least some of the metadata is automatically acquired. For example, in one implementation, the light sensing device may comprise a global positioning sensing system (GPSS) and a clock which automatically associate the physical location, time and date metadata with the acquired lighting data. Such acquired illumination data may be uploaded or transmitted in a wired or wireless fashion to a server that manages database  260 . Database  260  stores the different display illumination profiles for subsequent use when printing multiple different images as requested by multiple users for images captured at different locations. 
     In one implementation, database  60  further comprises a link/map from one or more of the CIE profiles to one or more given press configuration profiles. For example, database  260  may contain a mapping of CIE values (or other environment lighting/color illumination descriptors) to appropriate ICC Profiles and Color LUTs. Since each printing device  28 , such as a digital press, may use specific ICC “Device Link” profiles which ensure printed color consistency for a given device type and model, the database to  60  may also contain a mapping of “Device Link” ICC Profiles. Device Link ICC Profiles are presently utilized to facilitate color consistency for a given press type/model. 
     Display/input device  262  comprises a device that allows the selection of a particular display illumination profile from database  260 . In operation, a user of system  220  may use device  262  to identify or input to controller  24  the anticipated illumination conditions for the display of the image to be printed. In one implementation, processor  32 , following instructions contained in memory  36 , may prompt the user to input and illumination use for the display environment. In another implementation, processor  32 , following instructions contained in memory  36 , may prompt the user to select one of the display illumination profiles stored in database  260 . 
     For example, in one implementation, display/input device  262  may comprise a touch screen with presents the different options available for display illumination profiles and which allows a person to select which particular display illumination profile is to be used when controller  24  outputs printer operational parameter adjustments  52  to printing device  28 . In one implementation, the user may be prompted to input information regarding the display environment such as the exact geographic location, the exact physical location at the geographic location, the time of year and/or the time of day in which the image to be printed will be displayed for viewing. Upon receiving such input, controller  24  searches database  260  for an display illumination profile  266  matching the input display environment information. In another implementation, upon receiving such input, controller  24  searches database  260  for those display illumination profiles of display environments that most closely match the input display environment information, wherein the most closely matching display environments are presented to the user for final selection. 
     In yet other implementations, controller  24  may instead or additionally prompt the user to enter general information regarding the expected lighting conditions for the printed image. Rather than inputting specific location coordinates, the user may simply identify general conditions or the general type of lighting environment. For example, controller  24  may present different example types of display environments from which the user may choose, wherein controller  24  utilizes one of the stored display illumination profile  266  that most suits the selected type of display environment. Examples of types of display environments may include, but not limited to, room with no windows/ambient lighting, a room lit by an overhead light of x Watts, a wall illuminated by a spotlight of x Watts, an exterior wall facing in a southerly direction, an exterior wall facing in a easterly direction during the morning, a horizontal supporting surface/table illuminated by an overhead light or a group of overhead lights having a total of x Watts and so on. In such an implementation, the user does not need to measure illumination characteristics at the particular display site nor does the user have to input the exact coordinates of a specific location. 
     Database  260  facilitates the printing of multiple images by multiple different users for presentation at the same location or in the same display environment without each individual image being altered and adjusted. In contrast, a user may enter information regarding the display environment are identify the display environment, wherein controller  24  consults database  260  and automatically makes the adjustments to the printer operational parameters regardless of the image itself or the users identification. A single display illumination profile  266  may be applied to the printing of different images, by different printing devices by different users. 
       FIG. 4  schematically illustrates an example printing system  320 . Printing system  320  is similar to printing system  220  described above except that printing system  320  is specifically illustrated as comprising controller  24 , print device  28 , database  260  and display/input device  262  in a single printing unit  322 . Printing unit  322  comprises a single housing that encloses each of controller  24 , print device  28 , database  260  and display size input device  262 . In one implementation, database  260  may be updated with additional display illumination profiles  266  via a memory card slot or via wired or wireless communication. In one implementation, database  260  may be updated with additional display illumination profiles that are uploaded or transmitted in a wireless fashion across a network to database  260  within printing unit  322  from an optical spectrometer or other optical measuring device taking illumination or lighting measurements for the associated display environment. 
       FIG. 5  schematically illustrates an example printing system  420 . Printing system  420  is similar to printing system  220  described above except that printing system  420  utilizes a remote database  260  containing different display illumination profiles  266 , wherein the remote database  260  communicates via a network  421  with each of a multitude of different printing units  422 . In one implementation, database  260  comprises a network server that facilitates communication across network  421  and which provides access to the display illumination profiles  266  stored in database  260 . Each printing unit  422  comprises a controller  24  and a print device  28  (described above). With printing system  420 , each of the different printing is  422  share database  260  across network  421 . As a result, illumination measurements may be taken at a first location to generate an display illumination profile that is uploaded database  260  at a second location, remote from the first location, and utilized by a printing unit  422  at a third location, different from the first location and the second location, to print an image for display at the first location. The printed image may be shipped from the third location to the first location for display. In such an implementation, database  260  may be managed and updated independent of those individual users of the individual printing  422 . 
       FIG. 6  schematically illustrates an example printing system  520 . Printing system  520  is similar to printing system  220  described above except that printing system  520  except that system  520  shares database  260  amongst multiple independent controllers  24  across network  521 . Each of the independent controllers  24  provide adjustments to the operational parameters of different printing devices  28  across network (or networks)  621 . In some implementations, a single controller  24  may provide printer operational parameter adjustments to multiple printers or print devices  28 . As a result, controllers  24  may be remotely located with respect to the printing device  28  for which the adjustments signals are output by controllers  24 . In such an implementation, system  520  may serve printing devices  28  that themselves omit controller  24 , wherein the printing devices  28  may be updated or upgraded to communicate with controllers  24  to provide printed images customized for the display environment in which the individual printed images will be viewed. 
     Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to example implementations, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter. For example, although different example implementations may have been described as including one or more features providing one or more benefits, it is contemplated that the described features may be interchanged with one another or alternatively be combined with one another in the described example implementations or in other alternative implementations. Because the technology of the present disclosure is relatively complex, not all changes in the technology are foreseeable. The present disclosure described with reference to the example implementations and set forth in the following claims is manifestly intended to be as broad as possible. For example, unless specifically otherwise noted, the claims reciting a single particular element also encompass a plurality of such particular elements. The terms “first”, “second”, “third” and so on in the claims merely distinguish different elements and, unless otherwise stated, are not to be specifically associated with a particular order or particular numbering of elements in the disclosure.