Method for the identification of color measuring strips

• US 7,830,549 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2007
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Ag
• Original Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Ag
• Inventors: Steinle, Michael, Bucher, Harald, Huber, Werner
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams; Kimberly A
• Application Number:
  US11/714,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20070209542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.9, 358/504, 358/402, 358/406, 250/559.01, 250/559.39
• US Class Current: 358/1.9
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 33/0036 Devices for scanning or checking the printed matter for quality control
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 33/0081 Devices for scanning register marks
• CPC Class Codes: B41P 2233/51 for colour quality control

Abstract

To perform a method for identifying color measuring strips having measuring areas on printed products, the color measuring strips are scanned with a color measuring instrument. The measured color values acquired by the color measuring instrument are stored in a computer and that the measured color values acquired are each assigned to a printing ink. A sequence formed in this way of printing inks is stored in the computer and then compared with color measuring strip types stored in the computer. The stored color measuring strip type having the greatest probability is then selected.

Claims

1. A method for identifying color measuring strips having measuring areas on printed products, which comprises the steps of:

scanning the color measuring strips with a color measuring instrument resulting in measured color values;

storing the measured color values acquired by the color measuring instrument in a computer;

assigning each of the measured color values to a printing ink;

forming a sequence of printing inks from the measured color values;

comparing the sequence of printing inks stored in the computer with stored color measuring strip types stored in the computer; and

selecting a stored color measuring strip type having a greatest probability of matching the sequence of printing inks.

2. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises providing the color measuring instrument with a support table for supporting the printed products and the measured color values are obtained by scanning the printed products using a movable motor-driven scanner as the color measuring instrument.

3. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises carrying out the assigning of each of the measured color values to the printing ink by means of a vector calculation in a color space.

4. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises displacing the sequence of printing inks in each case by one colored area during the comparing step with the color measuring strip type stored in the computer.

5. The method according to claim 4, which further comprises storing agreements between individual color measuring areas of the stored color measuring strip type and the sequence of printing inks in the computer.

6. The method according to claim 5, which further comprises selecting the color measuring strip type stored in the computer which has the most agreements with the sequence of printing inks.

7. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

carrying out the assigning of a measured color value to a printing ink by scanning a color separation;

projecting an actual color locus onto an associated desired color locus; and

selecting a color separation exhibiting a lowest colorimetric difference.

8. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises processing only those of the measured color values, which during a measurement, only a single measuring area of the color measuring strip is registered.

9. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises displaying the stored color measuring strip type determined by the computer on a monitor.

10. The method according to claim 9, which further comprises acknowledging an acceptance for use of the stored color measuring strip type detected for color measurement by means of a user entry.